Start Here: Your First Week
In a nutshell
Eight steps from a brand-new club to your first league points. Each one takes minutes, and together they cover everything the game expects from a manager in week one. Deeper detail on every topic lives in its own guide section, linked as you go.
The first session
1
Meet your squad. Open the Squad page. Every player has a position, a rating (the number on his card), form bars that rise and fall with matches and training, and possibly traits: the small icons that give him special abilities. Your best XI is rarely just your eleven highest ratings: form and traits matter.
2
Set your tactics. Pick a formation and a philosophy on the Tactics page. Balanced is a safe start while you learn your squad. Assign the roles: Captain (a Leader if you have one), Playmaker, and your set-piece takers. Roles give real in-match bonuses.
3
Join a league. The World League always has a place for you, and you can browse custom leagues too. You can hold a World League spot and one custom league at the same time. Once you join, your fixtures appear on the calendar.
4
Prep your first match. Before kickoff, check your lineup for injuries and poor form, and glance at your opponent's recent matches to see how they play. Prep locks 30 minutes before kickoff, so set things up ahead of time.
5
Watch the match, collect the money. Matches simulate on schedule. Open the match afterwards to watch the replay, read the story of the game, and collect your match income.
6
Train after every match. The single most impactful habit in the game. Training restores and builds form, it is free (your coach's wage is the only cost), and form drives performance, growth, and reports. Hire a coach on the Staff page if you don't have one.
7
Claim your income. Weekly pay on the Finances page, a daily login bonus, a friendly win bonus, and Rivs for writing a league article. None of it is large alone; together it funds your first signings.
8
Start building. Send a scout from the Youth Academy for your first prospect, watch the transfer market for bargains, and add staff as the budget allows. Everything else in this guide builds on these eight steps.
Five mistakes new managers make
Skipping training. Form decays if you never train, and low form drags every match. Train after every match, always.
Picking the XI by rating alone. An in-form 12 usually outplays an exhausted, out-of-form 14. Read the form bars.
Ignoring the opponent. Two minutes checking their recent matches tells you their formation and philosophy, and how to counter it.
Selling young players early. Players under 21 grow fastest, and growth compounds. The 16-year-old you almost sold is your star in two seasons.
Missing the prep lock. Tactics and lineup freeze 30 minutes before kickoff. A great plan set 29 minutes before kickoff is a plan for next week.
What to do
Work through the eight steps in order. You can finish the first seven before your first match kicks off. Then read Your Squad and Tactics & Formation, the two sections that pay off fastest.
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