Matchday XILog in

How to play

Matchday XI is a free football prediction game. Before every match, you predict which eleven players your club will start. When the official team sheet is announced, you score for every player you got right.

1. Pick your club

Choose the club you support. You predict that club's starting XI for every one of its matches. Your club locks in when you save your first prediction of the season, and every new season you can keep it or choose again.

2. Predict the starting XI

Predictions for a match open 24 hours before kickoff. Pick exactly 11 players: one goalkeeper and ten outfield players, in any formation you like. The formation is just how your team looks on the pitch, it never affects your score. Academy (under-21) players who could start are in the squad list too. You can change your picks as often as you like until the match locks, 2 hours before kickoff. After that, nothing can be changed.

3. Score when the team sheet drops

Clubs announce their official starting XI about an hour before kickoff. As soon as it's in, every prediction is scored: 10 points for each player you picked who starts, wherever you put him. Get all eleven right and you've hit a Perfect XI and earn a 25-point bonus, for 135 points in total. Substitutes and unused players don't score.

4. Climb the leaderboards

Your points count towards the season-long Europe leaderboard, a leaderboard for each competition (counting only its matches) and your club's own fans' leaderboard, which all start fresh each season. They rank by points per club match: your points divided by every match your club has played since you joined, so fans of clubs with more matches don't get ahead just for playing more. You're ranked once your club has played 3 matches since you joined. Your total points and Perfect XI count are shown alongside. Tap any player's name to see their card: club, points, rank, Perfect XIs and trivia points. A gold shield next to a name marks a founding player, someone who joined before our public launch.

5. Play with friends in a private league

Create a private league for your friends, colleagues or group chat. Anyone can see who's in a league before asking to join, and the league's creator approves each request. Friends who join through the creator's own invite link get straight in, unless the creator switches that off. Each member picks the club they'll predict for in that league, and the league runs between the dates its creator sets, within the current season. Private leagues are just for fun, and no money changes hands.

6. Daily football trivia

Every day there are ten football questions, the same for everyone, with 15 seconds to answer each. You get 10 points for a right answer, plus up to 5 for answering fast, then see how you did against everyone else who played that day. You can stop between questions and carry on later the same day. Trivia points are separate from your prediction points and have their own trivia leaderboard, for the week, the month and all time.

Ready to call your club's XI? It takes a minute to sign up.

Play free

Already playing?

Take the app tour again

Questions

Is it free?

Yes. Matchday XI is free to play.

Who can play?

Anyone aged 18 or over. Sign up with your Google account in one tap, or with a code we email you. Either way, there's no password to remember.

What if a match is postponed or abandoned?

It's called off for the game too: nobody scores points for it either way. If it's rescheduled, predictions open again before the new kickoff.

What if I forget to predict?

A missed match scores zero. You'll get a reminder when predictions open and shortly before they lock if you've turned on notifications.

How are the leaderboards ranked?

By points per club match: your points divided by every match your club has played since you joined, including any you skipped, which count as zero. You need 3 of your club's matches to be ranked. Ties go to the most Perfect XIs, then the most matches predicted, and then the place is shared.

Does where I put a player on the pitch matter?

No. A player scores if he starts, whatever position you put him in. Only your goalkeeper must be a goalkeeper.

When do the daily trivia questions change?

A new set unlocks every day at midnight UTC (1am in the UK in summer, and 1am in Lagos). Each question can be answered once, and you can stop between questions and carry on later that day.

Are there prizes?

Sponsored prizes are coming soon. When they arrive, they'll be won on skill, with no luck draws.

The full rules are in our Terms of Service. Questions? Use the Contact us link below.