REUTERS/Phil Noble
Fantasy Premier League is growing more and more popular with every season that goes by. The free-to-play-game, which was created in 2002, is played by over 13 million people from across the world.
One individual who knows a thing or two about being successful in the game is Ben Crabtree, the winner of the 2016/17 Fantasy Premier League season. Crabtree's team, FC Crab Dogg, scored 2,564 points over the course of that campaign to etch his name in history.
The Englishman recently appeared on Gianni Buttice's YouTube channel to reveal his Gameweek 1 squad for the 2026/27 season.
Former FPL Champion Goes Without Bruno Fernandes
REUTERS/Phil Noble
Crabtree, an Everton fan, has picked Carl Rushworth and Senne Lammens as his starting goalkeepers. Rushworth completed a £22.5 million move to Coventry City this summer following a successful loan spell and will start for the club in England's top tier. Lammens, meanwhile, helped Manchester United to eight clean sheets in the 25/26 Premier League season.
In defence, Crabtree has gone with Riccardo Calafiori, Milan van Ewijk, Vitalii Mykolenko, Jaka Bijol and Josko Gvardiol.
Arsenal boast the best defence in the Premier League but only Calafiori makes it into his side. Gabriel Magalhaes, the top scoring defender in the 2025/26 season, doesn't make his side.
Morgan Rogers is included in Crabtree's midfield alongside Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Antoine Semenyo, Bryan Mbuemo and Christos Tzolis. Interestingly, there is no place for Bruno Fernandes, who broke the Premier League assist record in 2025/26 and is at the heart of everything good that Man Utd does.
Erling Haaland costs £15.5m this season, making him the most expensive player in the game's history. He makes it into Crabtree's XI alongside Chelsea's Joao Pedro and Leeds striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
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Former FPL Champion's 2026/27 Gameweek 1 team
Position
GK
GK
DEF
DEF
DEF
DEF
DEF
MID
MID
MID
MID
MID
FWD
FWD
FWD
Current Premier League Champion Gives Tips For Success
REUTERS/Hannah Mckay
Erik Ibsen beat over 13 million players to win Fantasy Premier League in 2026/27. He has shared the secrets to his success in an interview with the BBC.
He said: "The biggest thing is being consistent. A lot of people have one bad week and then give up on the game. I didn't start well and was eight millionth in the world after week one, whereas the person who came second was in the top 100.
"It's easy to forget there are 38 gameweeks and that things can change so much. Many people have a bad week and then burn everything trying to fix things immediately.
"Instead, be patient. If you could plan three or five weeks ahead by looking at upcoming fixtures that's a great start."
He added: "I think it's really fun to add your own touch to the game. But if you really want to be competitive and still have players from your own team, you need to do an extra step of research.
"As an Evertonian I really like Thierno Barry, but he shares minutes with Beto so as an FPL asset it's not a great idea. Mixing these two worlds is possible although it it will be harder for some teams.
"If you're a Manchester City fan, of course you can pick Erling Haaland. If you support Hull, well, good luck."