How player acquisition works in Fantasy Squad
When your federation includes a Transfer Market, you need to understand how the market works. Fantasy Squad supports multiple market types, each offering a different dynamic for acquiring and managing players.
The most exciting market type — and the most common way to start a season. Instead of buying players at a fixed price, teams bid against each other in a live auction. Every player must be won through competitive bidding, making budget management and strategy critical.
Best for: The ultimate competitive start to a season. Brings your group together for an exciting live event.
The most flexible ongoing market type. Any team can buy any available player at any time during the transfer window. There are no restrictions on which players a team can own.
Best for: Flexible ongoing market where managers want full freedom to build any squad.
A market where each team has a maximum number of transfers allowed per window. This creates scarcity in squad activity — managers must think carefully before making moves.
Best for: Groups who want more strategic squad management with limited roster churning.
A market type available only before the federation's first matchday. After the first match of the season starts, the Initial Market closes and transitions to the regular ongoing market. Typically used alongside an Auction to let managers complete their squads.
Best for: Pre-season squad assembly alongside the Auction.
A unique market type where instead of buying with credits, you propose player swaps directly with other managers. Two managers can exchange players from their squads by mutual agreement — no credits change hands.
Best for: Adding a social, negotiation layer to squad management.
A strategic market where managers can secretly release players from their squad. Released players are hidden from other managers until a set reveal time — allowing you to secretly free up squad slots and credits in preparation for an upcoming auction or transfer window.
Best for: Pre-auction squad preparation without tipping off rivals.
The following two market types are available only in Legacy federations, where players are signed to multi-year contracts. They do not appear in Market or Top 11 federations.
Between seasons, managers decide which players to keep. Each squad player can be confirmed for the upcoming season; players you don't confirm are released and you receive a refund.
Think of it as the release market's counterpart for Legacy: instead of dropping players, you actively renew your commitment to the ones worth keeping.
Extend the contracts of players already in your squad. Each renewal adds exactly one more season to a player's contract, up to the federation's maximum contract length.
Use it to lock down your key players for another season and build a squad that lasts for years.
Which market should I use?
Start your season with an Auction Market for the most social and competitive experience. Use a Free Market for the ongoing season if you want full flexibility, or Limited Market if you want to force more strategic decision-making.
