Fees and locks changes for 2026-27 [18/08/26]

More freedom to trade, stronger player markets

We’re making some important changes to trading for the new season, shaped by what managers told us about their experience of the game last season.

The aim is to give you more freedom to manage your squad while providing better protection against trading activity that can have a significant effect on player markets.

Two things are changing:

• player trading locks around fixtures are being removed;
• fees will respond more dynamically to live games and significant selling activity.

Trading throughout every fixture

We’re changing how trading works around live fixtures.

Last season, players became locked before their fixtures. You could still sign more shares, but you couldn’t release or swap out until the game had ended. We know these locks could be frustrating - particularly when you wanted to react to team news, manage your squad or move into another player.

For the new season, player markets will remain open throughout fixtures. Instead of a hard trading lock, a temporary live fixture fee will apply when releasing or swapping out of a player who is participating in a game.

How live fixture fees work

Nothing changes before the fixture is live.

Once a player is confirmed as participating, a 10% fee will apply when you:

• release shares in that player;
• swap out of that player.

The live fixture fee will not apply when you:

• sign more shares in the player;
• swap into the player.

When the player leaves the game, the fee will begin to reduce gradually. If they remain involved until full-time, the reduction will begin when the fixture ends. After one hour, the temporary fixture fee will expire and the normal applicable fee will take over.

This replaces a period when you couldn’t trade at all with a system that keeps the market open and gives you the choice.

Better protection for player markets

We also heard clearly how frustrating it could be when one manager released large holdings - or sold across a large number of players - in quick succession.

Significant selling can cause sharp price movements, affecting every manager who holds those players. Under the previous system, it was also possible to spread sales across several different players while avoiding the higher fees that might apply to a large sell-off on a single player.

Market Impact fees have been developed to respond more effectively to both situations:

• a release that has a significant impact on an individual player market;
• rapid or repeated selling across several player markets.

Market Impact fees sit alongside the game’s existing fee structure rather than replacing it. Standard trading fees and other existing protections, including player-specific surge fees during periods of heavy selling, continue to apply as before.

Normal trading, routine squad changes and ordinary profit-taking are not what these fees are designed to target. Additional fees will apply where the size or pattern of selling creates substantial pressure on player markets. Swaps do not trigger Market Impact fees.

If a manager continues to make significant releases while an increased Market Impact fee is active, the fee may rise further. Once that selling activity stops and the relevant period passes, the additional fee will reduce or expire automatically.

This means managers remain free to release their shares, while those creating the greatest pressure on the market bear more of the cost of that impact.

Fees won’t simply be added together

Different fee conditions may sometimes apply to the same trade - for example, a live fixture fee and a Market Impact fee.

These fees are not normally stacked on top of each other. The trade will use the highest applicable fee, unless an active escalating Market Impact level applies following repeated significant selling.

You’ll always see the final fee before confirming a transaction, together with the reason it applies. We’ll also show when a temporary fee is expected to reduce or expire.

What this means for you

For most managers, the most noticeable change will be greater freedom:

• player markets will remain open during fixtures;
• you’ll be able to adjust your squad when you choose;
• temporary fees will replace hard trading restrictions;
• routine trading should continue at the normal applicable rates;
• significant selling will receive a fee that better reflects its impact on the market;
• every fee will be shown before you confirm your trade.

These changes are intended to make trading feel more flexible, transparent and fair - while giving managers better protection from the sharp market movements that can follow large, rapid sell-offs.

Updated on: 19/08/2026