Football scoring changes for 2026-27

Improving the scoring model

Our aim wasn't to fundamentally reshape player values or change the way the game is played. Instead, we've focused on making scores better reflect the moments that have the biggest impact on a football match. 

Our goals were simple:

• Reward meaningful football actions more consistently.
• Avoid overly harsh penalties for positive attacking play.
• Reduce the influence of routine actions.
• Give greater emphasis to decisive moments, creative play and match-defining defensive actions. 
• Better reflect the unique contribution of goalkeepers.
• Maintain the overall balance of player values and tournament outcomes.

What's changed?

Some of the key changes include:

• Goals have been given greater emphasis to better reflect their importance in deciding football matches, while ensuring the wider scoring model remains balanced. 
• Goalkeepers have been rebalanced to reward decisive actions such as commanding the area, sweeping and making important saves, while routine actions contribute less.
• The first goal conceded no longer carries a points penalty, avoiding the double impact of both conceding points and losing the clean sheet reward.
• Passing has been rebalanced to place greater emphasis on progressive passes into the final third, while routine possession contributes slightly less.
• We've reduced some of the harsher attacking penalties, including those for missing big chances and losing duels, recognising that players who create and take opportunities shouldn't be disproportionately punished for doing so.
• Defensive actions such as winning tackles have been given slightly more emphasis.
• Substitute appearances are now rewarded equally to starting appearances, reflecting the increasingly important role substitutes play in shaping modern football matches.
• We’ve also introduced Key Pass as a new scoring event, rewarding passes that directly create a shooting opportunity, even when they don’t lead to a big chance or goal.

Overall, these changes are designed to better reward impactful moments while keeping the game balanced and familiar.

What did our testing show?

Before introducing these changes, we replayed nearly 12 months of historical data across 80 tournaments using the new scoring model.

The results gave us confidence that we'd achieved what we set out to do. The players who consistently performed well under the previous model continued to perform well under the new one. While there was some slight movement in the rankings - particularly between different player archetypes such as goalscorers and controlling midfielders - the overall player landscape remained reassuringly stable. 

The top of the rankings remained especially familiar. These were the ten highest-scoring players under the new model, based on average points per game:

Looking at tournament results specifically, we compared the top five outfielders and top three goalkeepers in each tournament. Across the 80 tournaments tested, 88% of previous winners remained somewhere in the top places under the new scoring model, with 60% finishing in exactly the same position.

Results were particularly stable at the top. Almost 99% of players who previously occupied one of the top three outfield positions remained somewhere in the reward places, while almost 97% of first and second place goalkeepers remained in the goalkeeper top three. Most of the movement was concentrated around the final reward places, where scores are naturally closer.

Of those who didn’t retain exactly the same finishing position, around 70% moved to another reward place rather than dropping out entirely. This gave us confidence that the changes refine how performances are rewarded without fundamentally changing tournament outcomes.

No scoring model is ever perfect, and we'll continue to monitor how it performs throughout the season. 

We're excited about these changes because we believe they make scoring more reflective of the football happening on the pitch, while preserving the overall balance of the game.

For those who like to understand exactly how scores are calculated, we've included a complete breakdown of the scoring events that have changed below.

Updated on: 14/08/2026