Why coaches are switching to GDS Football
Most fantasy football games hand you a prize table full of merch and a leaderboard that resets in May. We do it differently. GameDay Squad Football is free to play, pays real cash every single round, and the player cards you collect are yours to keep. The squad you build this season is the one you start with next season, just stronger.
Real money, every round. Over $44,000 in cash prizes across 38 rounds and end-of-season awards for the 2026/27 season.
Free to play, free to win. Every coach gets free packs, and the Contender competition pays cash to the top three without you spending a cent.
Your cards, forever. Pack a Gold Haaland once and he's in your reserves for as long as you play.
Eight competitions from one squad. Starter, Contender, Classic, Challenger, Champion, plus three Weekly Specials new this season.
Cards you can collect
Every card is yours to keep. The higher the rarity, the bigger the score multiplier. A few of the cards coaches are chasing right now:
How GDS Football works
Open your packs. Download the app, sign up free, and you'll get starter packs of Bronze player cards straight away. That's enough to field a full squad.
Set your 15. Eleven on the field (1 GK, 4 DEF, 3 MID, 3 FWD), four on the bench, and four emergencies as cover. Bench players score exactly the same as field players.
Beat the lockout. Football runs a fixed lockout, so your squad locks when the first match of the round kicks off. Get it in before then and you're set for the week.
Win cash and cards. Round prizes land every week, seasonal prizes at the end. Cash goes to your wallet, packs go to your collection, and better cards unlock harder competitions.
The 2026/27 prize pool
We're putting more than $44,000 in cash on the line for Football this season, spread across every round and topped up with end-of-season prizes. Here's what the top spot pays each round.
Competition | Round winner | Season winner |
|---|---|---|
Starter | 9 Player Common Pack + 4 Starter Packs | $100 + 2027 Prize Card |
Contender | $25 + packs | $250 + 2027 Prize Card |
Classic | $50 + packs | $1,000 + Prize Card + All Star Unique Pack |
Challenger | $100 + 9 Player Rare Pack | $1,500 + Prize Card + All Star Unique Pack |
Champion | $250 + 9 Player Unique Pack | $2,500 + Prize Card + All Star Unique Pack |
Under 23s | $50 + 9 Player Unique Pack | $500 + 2027 Prize Card |
The Stats Lab Primetime | $150 + 9 Player Unique Pack | $500 + 2027 Prize Card |
Underdogs | $50 + 9 Player Unique Pack | $500 + 2027 Prize Card |
Prizes run deep, not just to the winner. Classic pays cash to the top five and packs to the top 250 every round. The full round-by-round breakdown is in our Football prize table.
Pick your competition
Every coach starts in Starter and climbs from there. Your squad's combined salary decides which competitions you can enter, and salary is set by card rarity, never by how well a player is going. A Bronze card costs $500k all season, even if he's leading the golden boot.
Competition | Salary cap | Cards allowed | Who it's for |
|---|---|---|---|
Starter | $7.5m | Bronze only | Brand new coaches. Pack prizes, level playing field. |
Contender | $8m | Bronze, Silver, Gold | First taste of the cap, first shot at cash. |
Classic | $10m | Bronze to Platinum + 2 Special Cards | Everyone. The biggest comp and the one the cups are built on. |
Challenger | $12m | Gold to Legend + 5 Special Cards | Coaches with real depth. Bronze and Silver locked out. |
Champion | No cap | Platinum, Diamond, Legend (max 5) | The top of the ladder. Biggest cash of the season. |
New this season: three Weekly Specials
Under 23s ($11m cap): only players born on or after 1 July 2003. Know who's getting minutes before the rest of the platform does.
Underdogs ($10.5m cap): only clubs not playing in Europe this season. Eleven eligible clubs, no midweek rotation, no buying your way to the top.
The Stats Lab Primetime (no cap): only matches that kick off on a Saturday AEST. Bring everything you own and build from one slate.
All three are free to enter all season. Run in partnership with The Stats Lab, Primetime carries the biggest weekly cash prize outside Champion.
How scoring works
Your round score comes from what your players actually do on the pitch, scored by position, then multiplied by the rarity of the card you own. A goalkeeper's goal is worth more than a forward's. A clean sheet is worth nothing to a midfielder.
Stat | GK | DEF | MID | FWD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Goal scored | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 |
Assist | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 |
Clean sheet (60+ mins) | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
Key pass | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Shot on target | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Save | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Penalty saved | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
Goal conceded | -2 | -2 | 0 | 0 |
Yellow / Red card | -1 / -8 | -1 / -8 | -1 / -8 | -1 / -8 |
Goal bonus (2 / 3 goals) | +4 / +8 | +4 / +8 | +4 / +8 | +4 / +8 |
New for 2026/27: key passes are up from 2 to 3, clean sheets now trigger at 60 minutes instead of 90, and there's a stacking bonus for braces and hat-tricks. Full table on our scoring page.
The card multiplier
This is the bit no other platform has. The same player on a better card scores more.
Card | Multiplier | Salary hit |
|---|---|---|
Bronze | 1.0x | $500k |
Silver | 1.1x | $600k |
Gold | 1.2x | $700k |
Platinum | 1.3x | $800k |
Diamond | 1.4x | $900k |
Legend (current season) | 1.5x | $1m |
Two knockout cups, one Classic squad
Set your Classic squad every week and you're automatically in the running for both cups. No extra entry, no extra work.
The 2026 League Cup: 128 coaches, head-to-head survivor format from Round 5. Lose and you're out. Survive seven weeks and you're picking in the 2027 Prize Card Draft.
The 2027 GDS Cup: the top 64 Classic coaches after Round 30 go into seeded groups, then a straight knockout to the final in Round 38. Live group draw on stream.
Built for Australian coaches
Every deadline is shown in your local time, Primetime is built around Saturday AEST kick-offs, and our community lives on Discord where coaches trade cards, argue about projections and post their squads before lockout. In-app you'll also see player status (available, in doubt, suspended, injured), a projection for every player every round from The Stats Lab, and real-time selected-by percentages across all five standard competitions.
Ready to build your squad?
It takes about two minutes. Download GameDay Squad, open your starter packs and set your first 15 before the next lockout. Your cards are waiting, and so is this round's prize money.
Frequently asked questions
Is GameDay Squad Football really free to play?
Yes. Sign-up is free, you get starter packs free, and free packs keep coming. Cash prizes are paid in Starter (packs), Contender, Classic and every comp above without any entry fee. A monthly membership gets you more packs and perks, but you don't need it to win.
Can I win real money playing fantasy football in Australia?
You can on GameDay Squad. We're paying more than $44,000 in cash across the 2026/27 Football season, from $25 for a Contender round win up to $2,500 for the Champion season winner. Cash lands in your GDS wallet and you can withdraw it.
How is this different from the official fantasy game?
Three ways. We pay cash, not merch. Your team doesn't reset each season because the player cards are yours to keep. And the same player can score differently depending on the rarity of the card you own, which makes collecting and trading part of the game.
How does scoring work in GDS Football?
Players score by position from real match stats (goals, assists, clean sheets, key passes, saves and more), then that score is multiplied by your card's rarity, from 1.0x for Bronze up to 1.5x for a current-season Legend. The full table is above.
When does my squad lock?
Football uses a fixed lockout. Your whole squad locks when the first match of the round kicks off, shown in your local time in the app. There's no rolling lockout, so name your four emergencies before the deadline in case of a late out.
How many players do I need?
Fifteen scoring players: a goalkeeper, four defenders, three midfielders and three forwards on the field, plus one of each on the bench. Bench players score exactly the same as field players. You also name four emergencies who sit outside your salary cap.
What does the monthly membership include?
Members get a monthly pack drop and access to the card exchange, which is the fastest way to build a Challenger or Champion squad. The competitions and cash prizes are open to everyone regardless.
How and when are cash prizes paid?
Round prizes are settled after each round is finalised and credited to your GDS wallet. Seasonal prizes are paid after the final round. You can withdraw or spend on the marketplace.
Do I need to be 18 or over?
Yes. GameDay Squad is for coaches aged 18 and over, and it's Australian owned and operated.
Which competitions can a new coach enter?
Starter, Contender and Classic from day one. Challenger and Champion need Gold-or-better cards across all 15 positions, so they come once your collection has depth. The three Weekly Specials are open to everyone.