Football stadium at dusk with fans waving green and gold scarves around a striped pitch

A-League Men 2026-27 · Australia

Build Your A-League Fantasy XI

Pick eleven real A-League Men players in a classic formation, stay inside a A$100M cap and see how your team plays against a rival club.

  • 310+ real players
  • 11 a side
  • A$100M salary cap

How it works

From the first pick to the final whistle, it takes three simple steps to get playing.

  1. Step 1

    Scout Players

    Browse more than 310+ real A-League Men players from all 12 clubs. Compare rating, price and position before you commit.

  2. Step 2

    Build Your XI

    Choose a formation, then fill one goalkeeper and ten outfield players without busting the A$100M cap.

  3. Step 3

    Play the Match

    Watch 90 virtual minutes in 15 seconds against a rival club’s best eleven and save your results.

Everything a fantasy coach needs

Six tools that turn a weekend hobby into a proper coaching job.

Real A-League squads

All 12 clubs are in the pool with real first-team players and positions. Squads last checked on 13 October 2026.

Classic formations

Choose 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1, 3-5-2, 5-3-2, 4-1-4-1 or 3-4-3 and watch the pitch change shape.

A$100M salary cap

Eleven players, one budget. Stars cost up to A$12.5M, so smart value picks decide your team.

Club chemistry

Players from the same club link up better. Two or three teammates lift your team in the match.

Match simulation

A live feed, a scoreboard and a result summary, all in a 15 second match you can replay.

Mobile Optimized

Set your eleven from anywhere. Fast, thumb-friendly and built for match day.

Take a Virtual Tour of Our Platform

See how the Squad Builder, formation picker and budget meter fit together before you start. It takes about two minutes.

Open Squad Builder

Squad Builder

Pick a goalkeeper, defenders, midfielders and forwards for your formation while a live budget meter keeps you honest. No time? Auto-pick an eleven in one click.

  • Eleven real A-League Men players on a A$100M cap
  • Seven classic formations, from 4-4-2 to 3-4-3
  • Finish your eleven to unlock a 15 second match

Open the full Squad Builder

Formation
4-3-3
Budget left
A$100.0M
Players
0 / 11
Rating
0.0
    • FWD
    • FWD
    • FWD
    • MID
    • MID
    • MID
    • DEF
    • DEF
    • DEF
    • DEF
    • GK

Teams and players

Scout featured players, compare your options and check every club before you pick. Ratings and prices are gameforplayers.com fantasy values. Portraits are AI-processed so they are not copied photographs.

Featured players

AI-processed portrait of Mathew Leckie, forward for Melbourne CityFWD

Melbourne City

Mathew Leckie

Rating
85
Attack
88
Defence
57
Price
A$12.5M
AI-processed portrait of Craig Goodwin, forward for Adelaide UnitedFWD

Adelaide United

Craig Goodwin

Rating
86
Attack
89
Defence
58
Price
A$12.5M
AI-processed portrait of Aziz Behich, defender for Melbourne CityDEF

Melbourne City

Aziz Behich

Rating
86
Attack
66
Defence
88
Price
A$12.3M
AI-processed portrait of Andrew Redmayne, goalkeeper for Central Coast MarinersGK

Central Coast Mariners

Andrew Redmayne

Rating
87
Attack
12
Defence
87
Price
A$12.4M
AI-processed portrait of Max Burgess, midfielder for Newcastle JetsMID

Newcastle Jets

Max Burgess

Rating
86
Attack
78
Defence
74
Price
A$12.5M
AI-processed portrait of Brandon Borrello, forward for Western Sydney WanderersFWD

Western Sydney Wanderers

Brandon Borrello

Rating
88
Attack
91
Defence
60
Price
A$12.5M

Player comparison

Pick any two players to see who has the edge.

Side-by-side comparison of two selected players
Stat Mathew Leckie Craig Goodwin
Club Melbourne City Adelaide United
Position FWD FWD
Price A$12.5M A$12.5M
Fantasy rating 85 86 (higher)
Attack 88 89 (higher)
Creativity 79 80 (higher)
Defence 57 58 (higher)

A-League Men clubs 2026-27

The twelve clubs in the pool, with their grounds, managers and captains. Checked on 13 October 2026.

A-League Men clubs with ground, capacity, manager and captain
Club Ground Capacity Manager Captain
Adelaide UnitedAdelaide Coopers Stadium 16,500 Airton Andrioli Craig Goodwin
Auckland FCAuckland Go Media Stadium 27,700 Pedro Moreira Hiroki Sakai
Brisbane RoarBrisbane Suncorp Stadium 52,500 Michael Valkanis Not named yet
Central Coast MarinersGosford Polytec Stadium 20,059 John Hutchinson Trent Sainsbury
Macarthur FCSydney Campbelltown Sports Stadium 17,500 Sasa Ognenovski Not named yet
Melbourne CityMelbourne AAMI Park 30,050 Aurelio Vidmar Aziz Behich
Melbourne VictoryMelbourne AAMI Park 30,050 Giovanni Savarese Not named yet
Newcastle JetsNewcastle McDonald Jones Stadium 30,000 Mark Milligan Max Burgess
Perth GloryPerth HBF Park 20,500 Adam Griffiths Tom Lawrence
Sydney FCSydney Allianz Stadium 42,500 Patrick Kisnorbo Rhyan Grant
Wellington PhoenixWellington Hnry Stadium 34,500 Chris Greenacre Alex Rufer
Western Sydney WanderersSydney CommBank Stadium 30,000 Ufuk Talay Brandon Borrello

Value picks

Outfield players rated 72 or higher, ranked by fantasy rating per A$1M. Calculated from the same pool as the Squad Builder.

Best fantasy rating per A$1M among outfield players
Player Pos Price Rating Per A$1M
Jonathan AspropotamitisMacarthur FC DEF A$7.4M 72 9.7
Ben GaruccioSydney FC DEF A$7.5M 72 9.6
Walter ScottWellington Phoenix DEF A$7.7M 73 9.5
Francis de VriesAuckland FC DEF A$7.9M 73 9.2
Alexandar PopovicSydney FC DEF A$7.9M 73 9.2
Julio CascanteMelbourne City DEF A$7.8M 72 9.2

Coaches and tactics

Meet managers shaping the 2026-27 season and pick a formation that suits your style.

Manager profiles

AI-processed portrait of Tony Popovic, Socceroos head coach

Socceroos head coach

Tony Popovic

A former Australia centre-back who played at the 2006 World Cup. He replaced Graham Arnold as Socceroos head coach on 23 September 2024 and took the side to the 2026 World Cup.

Fantasy angle: players who earn Socceroos minutes often carry that form back to their clubs.

AI-processed portrait of Ufuk Talay, Western Sydney Wanderers

Western Sydney Wanderers

Ufuk Talay

A former Australian midfielder who played for Galatasaray and Sydney FC, then coached Wellington Phoenix and Sydney FC. Named Wanderers head coach for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons.

Fantasy angle: watch how the new coach shapes the front line before you back Wanderers attackers.

AI-processed portrait of Aurelio Vidmar, Melbourne City

Melbourne City

Aurelio Vidmar

A former Australia international with 44 caps and 17 goals. As a coach he led Adelaide United to the 2008 AFC Champions League final.

Fantasy angle: a settled City side rewards owners who keep faith with regular starters.

AI-processed portrait of Mark Milligan, Newcastle Jets

Newcastle Jets

Mark Milligan

A former defensive midfielder who played 80 times for Australia. He became Newcastle Jets head coach in 2025 and leads the defending premiers.

Fantasy angle: the premiers are a safe base for defenders and a Jets captain pick.

Classic formations

4-4-2 Classic

The balanced default. A flat back four, a flat midfield of four and two strikers. Easy to understand and a solid first pick if you are new to fantasy.

4-3-3 Attack

Three forwards stretch the pitch while three midfielders cover the middle. More goal threat, so spend your budget up front.

3-5-2 Wing-backs

Three centre-backs and five midfielders with wing-backs doing two jobs. A high ceiling for creative midfielders, but a thinner defence.

4-2-3-1 Modern

Two holding midfielders protect the back four, three attacking midfielders feed one striker. A favourite of many A-League coaches.

A-League stadiums

From the 52,500 seats at Suncorp Stadium to HBF Park in Perth, these are the grounds where fantasy points are made.

Rectangular football stadium in Melbourne at dusk with a geometric roof

AAMI Park

Melbourne, VIC

30,050 seats

Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory

A compact rectangular stadium shared by both Melbourne clubs, so it hosts the Melbourne Derby.

Large rectangular football stadium in Sydney at dusk with a sweeping roof

Allianz Stadium

Sydney, NSW

42,500 seats

Sydney FC

The rebuilt Moore Park venue and home of Sydney FC, with a sweeping roof over every seat.

Steep-sided football stadium in Brisbane under floodlights at night

Suncorp Stadium

Brisbane, QLD

52,500 seats

Brisbane Roar

The biggest ground in the league. Steep stands keep the noise close to the pitch.

Modern bowl stadium in Parramatta at blue hour with a rectangular pitch

CommBank Stadium

Parramatta, NSW

30,000 seats

Western Sydney Wanderers

The Wanderers home in Parramatta, where the Red and Black Bloc supporters stand behind the goal.

Open football stadium in Newcastle in late afternoon light

McDonald Jones Stadium

Newcastle, NSW

30,000 seats

Newcastle Jets

Newcastle Jets home ground in the Hunter region, where the 2025-26 premiers play.

Compact rectangular football ground in Perth at golden hour

HBF Park

Perth, WA

20,500 seats

Perth Glory

A compact rectangular ground close to Perth city centre, known to many fans as Perth Rectangular Stadium.

Leagues and competitions

Four real competitions to follow alongside your fantasy eleven.

Top flight

A-League Men

Australia’s top men’s competition. The 2026-27 season runs from 16 October 2026 to early June 2027, and the top six clubs reach the finals. Auckland FC and Wellington Phoenix play from New Zealand.

12 clubs, 26 matches each

The competition our Squad Builder is built on

Women’s top flight

A-League Women

The national women’s league, played by the same club brands as the men. It was renamed from W-League to A-League Women in 2021.

Started 2008 as the W-League

Worth following alongside the men’s season

National knockout

Australia Cup

A knockout cup that brings A-League clubs and state-level clubs from across the country into the same draw, so giant-killings are always possible.

First played in 2014

Cup nights are great for tactical surprises

Asia’s top club prize

AFC Champions League Elite

The premier club competition in Asia. Australian clubs earn places through their A-League Men results.

Australian clubs qualify via the A-League

Extra matches test squad depth

Open the Squad Builder

Latest A-League news

Season previews, tactics and stadium guides for fantasy coaches. Each story links to further reading from leading Australian outlets.

A football pitch diagram with eleven gold tokens arranged in a formation

Strategy

How to build a balanced eleven on A$100M

One goalkeeper, a back line, a midfield and a front line. Here is how to spread A$100M across eleven players without leaving a hole.

Source reading: Football Australia · 5 min read

View all news

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about squads, the salary cap, formations and the match.

Is gameforplayers.com free to play?

Yes. gameforplayers.com is 18+ only and 100% free-to-play. There is no real money wagering and there are no cash prizes or payouts.

How does the A$100M salary cap work?

Every player has a price from A$4.0M to A$12.5M. Your eleven must fit inside A$100.0M, so you balance a few stars with value picks.

How many players are in a squad?

You pick 11 real A-League Men players: one goalkeeper plus ten outfield players arranged in a classic formation such as 4-3-3 or 4-4-2.

Which formations can I use?

The Squad Builder offers 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1, 3-5-2, 5-3-2, 4-1-4-1 and 3-4-3. You can switch at any time and players in unchanged positions stay in place.

Are the players and ratings real?

The names, clubs and positions come from the 2026-27 A-League Men club squads. Ratings and prices are gameforplayers.com fantasy values, not official match statistics.

How does the match simulation work?

Once your eleven is complete, 90 virtual minutes are played in 15 seconds against a rival club’s best eleven. Squad rating and club chemistry nudge the odds, but anything from 0-0 to 4-4 can happen.

See all FAQs