FPL Auction Draft: How to Host a Fantasy Premier League Auction

The standard FPL draft is fine, but an FPL auction draft takes your Fantasy Premier League mini-league to an entirely different level. Every manager bids on every player with a fixed budget — which means no one gets stuck with a bad draft position.

Whether your mini-league has 4 or 12 managers, here's how to set up and host an FPL auction draft that everyone will love.

Why Run an FPL Auction Instead of a Regular Draft?

The official FPL draft mode uses a snake format. It works, but:

• The manager picking first has a massive advantage — they get Haaland or Salah guaranteed.
• Later picks feel like you're just getting leftovers.
• There's less strategy — you just pick the best available.

In an auction draft, every manager competes for every player. Want Salah? You can have him — if you're willing to spend the budget. This creates a far more engaging and strategic experience.

How to Set Up Your FPL Auction

1. Choose Your Format

• Budget: £100M is a natural choice (matching the FPL in-game budget), but you can use any amount.
• Squad size: 15 players (matching FPL: 2 GK, 5 DEF, 5 MID, 3 FWD) is standard.
• Roles: Goalkeeper, Defender, Midfielder, Forward.
• Minimum bid: Set a floor (e.g., £0.5M) so that everyone can fill their squad.

2. Build the Player Pool

You'll need a list of Premier League players. You can create this manually or import via CSV on MyAuctionVerse. Include player name, position, and a base price to speed up the auction.

For base prices, you can use the actual FPL prices as a starting point (e.g., Haaland starts at £15M, a promoted-team midfielder starts at £4.5M).

3. Create Teams

Each manager gets a franchise. Set everyone's budget to the same amount. You can name teams after your mini-league names or come up with fun franchise names.

4. Run the Live Auction

The auctioneer presents players one by one. Managers bid, and the highest bidder gets the player. Budgets and squads update in real-time on every device.

FPL Auction Strategy Tips

Don't Blow Your Budget on One Player

It's tempting to go all-in for Haaland, but if you spend £30M on one player in a £100M budget, the rest of your squad will be thin. Balance is key.

Target Mid-Price Differentials

Everyone knows the premium players. The real value is in the £5M-£8M range — players who could break out but fly under the radar at auction. Do your research and identify 3-4 targets others might undervalue.

Let Others Overpay

In the first few rounds, bidding tends to be aggressive. Let managers overpay for the obvious picks. By mid-auction, budgets are tighter and excellent players go for bargain prices.

Know When to Walk Away

Set a maximum price for each target before the auction. When bidding hits your limit, walk away. There's always another option.

Making It an Event

The best FPL auction drafts are social events. Here are some ideas:

• Meet in person at someone's house or a pub, with the auction on a big screen.
• Run it on Discord or Zoom for remote mini-leagues — share the auction link so everyone follows along.
• Use the Broadcast Overlay to stream it like a real Premier League event.
• Keep a record — the post-auction summary shows everyone's squad and spend. Great for bragging rights.

FPL Auction vs. FPL Draft: Quick Comparison

• Draft: Turn-based, first pick advantage, less strategy.
• Auction: Budget-based, equal access, more strategy, much more fun.

Once your mini-league tries an auction draft, you'll never go back to the standard format.