How to play Gaffer XI

Gaffer XI takes about thirty seconds to learn. You pick a mode, draft eleven players, and play your matches. This guide walks through each step and explains how every mode works.

Step 1 — Choose a mode

From the home screen you choose how you want to play. Each mode uses the same draft-then-play loop but changes the competition around it:

• League — play a full season against a table of rival teams. Finish top of the table to be crowned champion.
• Cup — a straight knockout. Win every round to lift the trophy; a single defeat ends your run.
• World Cup — pick a tournament from 1998 through 2026, or the all-time mixed mode, and play through groups and knockouts with national squads.
• Money Mode — instead of a blind draft you get a transfer budget and buy your XI from a priced market, then take on rival managers over a mini-season.

Step 2 — Pick a formation

Before you draft, you choose a shape — for example 4-3-3, 4-4-2 or 3-5-2. Your formation decides which positions you need to fill, so it shapes the whole draft. A back three needs strong central defenders; a front three rewards pace and finishing. There is no single "best" formation: the trick is drafting players who actually fit the shape you picked.

Step 3 — Draft your XI

This is the heart of the game. You are offered players and you pick one at a time until all eleven slots are filled. Every player has a position and a rating, and once you take a player they are gone from the deck. That means every pick is a small gamble: take the best player on the board now, or hold out for someone who fills a position you still need?

A strong squad usually balances a few elite names with solid players in every position. Eleven superstars out of position will lose to a well-shaped, balanced side — so think about your spine (goalkeeper, centre-back, central midfield, striker) first.

Step 4 — Play your matches

With your XI complete, the matches are simulated using your players' ratings, how well they fit your formation, home advantage and a bit of realistic randomness. You will see the scores come in across the season or the bracket. In tougher settings the opponents are stronger, so a great draft matters more.

Step 5 — Reach the Hall of Fame

Finish a run — win the league, the cup or the World Cup — and you can place it on the live Hall of Fame, a public leaderboard ranked per mode. There are also underdog boards that reward winning with the lowest-rated or cheapest team, so a clever, cheap title can out-score a squad full of superstars.

Want an edge? Read our tips & strategy guide, or start a draft now.