Dream Draft XI guides

Everything we know about drafting a winning eleven, written by the people who built the game. Start with the walkthrough if it is your first match.

• 📘 How to play Dream Draft XI

  A full walkthrough of a game: modes, formations, drafting, the coach pick and the match simulation.

• 🧩 Which formation should you pick?

  All five formations compared — 4-3-3, 4-4-2, 3-5-2, 4-2-3-1 and 5-3-2 — and what each asks of your draft.

• 🎲 Safe vs risky picks: drafting strategy

  When to gamble, how troll picks punish you, and how to use boosts and nationality synergy.

• 🧮 How team scores are calculated

  Ratings, rarity tiers, boosts, synergy, the coach weighting and how the simulation turns it into a score.

• ⭐ Player ratings explained (and the fun facts)

  What a rating really measures, what each rarity tier means, and the verified trivia behind every card.

• 🧥 The twelfth pick: choosing your coach

  Why the coach carries about half the weight of the eleven, and how to match one to the squad you drafted.

• 🏆 The 2026 World Cup players in your draft pool

  Who joined the pool after the tournament, who moved up a tier, and how to draft them.

Want to know who is behind the game? Read about Dream Draft XI.