The MfL Rules and Regulations 2026/27

Welcome to Season 19 of The MfL! A new record number of managers this season with 32 in The Premiership and 32 in The Championship. 4 more than last season. Thank you all for entering!

 

Firstly, if you haven’t already done so, everyone should join the following league regardless of which division you are in. This is a standard points league for all managers to use as reference when teams play each other from different leagues in the Cups.

 

https://fantasy.premierleague.com/leagues/auto-join/4kn2ab

 

ALSO…. Once the season gets started most correspondence (cup fixtures and results, manager of the month awards, random stats, etc) will be conducted via the WhatsApp group or the website theMfL.co.uk. If you’re not already on the WhatsApp group and want to be here’s the link:

 

Open this link to join my WhatsApp Group: https://chat.whatsapp.com/1taqYNDnSxF3h4rDh7CxSI

 

GAME PLAY

This is a Head-to-Head league. Points are scored each week using the usual rules of Fantasy Premier League (FPL). A managers points are scored against the manager they have been drawn each gameweek. The manager with the highest points of the two gets 3 points, the lowest points get 0 points, and a draw is 1 point (points scored exactly the same as the Premier League). 

 

To play the game you need to access the FPL website or app to manage your team. Fixtures for both leagues are set by the FPL website via either The MfL Premiership or The MfL Championship head to head leagues, until the Divisional splits later in the season. Cup and divisional fixtures will be dealt with separately and posted on the website and the WhatsApp group. Points will be scored in exactly the same way though.

 

LEAGUE FORMAT

The Premiership will function as has been for the previous few years. 32 teams, each team plays every other team once before the league splits into 4 divisions of 8, within which each team plays every other team in their division once (with the exception of Division 4 - see below). Division 1 champion is The MfL League Champion. 

 

The Championship follows the same format with each team will playing every other team once. Then splitting into 4 divisions of 8. Each team plays every other team in their division once to decide divisional champions (with the exception of Division 1 - see below).

 

Promotion/Relegation Play-off

NEW FOR THIS SEASON!!

 

The 8 teams qualifying in division 4 of The Premiership and the 8 teams qualifying in division 1 of The Championship will enter a cross divisional Play-off over the divisional stage of the season.

 

These 16 teams will be drawn into 2 play-off divisions. The first of which containing the 4 highest placed teams in Division 4 of the premiership and the 4 lowest placed teams in Division 1 of the championship, and the 2nd containing the 4 lowest placed teams in Division 4 of the premiership and the 4 highest placed teams in division 1 of the championship. In this first stage (4 gameweeks) the premiership teams will play the championship teams. 

 

At the end of this first stage - the top two teams in each play-off division will secure a Premiership place for the following season and the bottom two teams in each play-off division will secure a Championship place for the following season. 

 

The remaining 4 teams in each division (3rd-6th place) will face each other once more to decide the final standings from 3rd to 6th with 3rd and 4th place winning Premiership football and 5th and 6th consigned to The Championship. 

 

Throughout this play-off stage FPL points are carried over from the rest of the season and any level teams to be decided first by FPL points scored and secondly by FPL points conceded. As many as 8 teams could be promoted and relegated and as few as 0 teams!

 

Fixtures for the first part of both leagues are determined by the Fantasy Premier League website (or app). Once the divisional stage starts; fixtures will be posted on the MfL website and WhatsApp group. A full list of what is played in each gameweek can be found on the homepage of the website.

 

Manager of the Month and Spoon of the Month is awarded each month to the best and worst performing managers in The Premiership and Championship separately, with a monetary prize for the MOTM.

 

THE MfL CUP

This cup will be played in the old Champions League-style format, and will contain all 64 MfL teams. 

 

The MfL Cup will start with a Group Stage within which there will be 16 groups of 4 teams. Each team plays the other teams in their group twice. Groups will be drawn based on seedings determined by league position at the top of the draw. Each group will contain 2 teams from The Premiership and 2 teams from The Championship. The top two from each group will qualify for the knock-out stages, no highest scoring 3rd placed team places this season, (FPL points scored during cup fixtures decide level teams).

 

The Knock-Out stage will be two legged up until the final. Any drawn fixtures will go to a replay. Except for the final which, in the case of a draw, will be decided on FPL points scored through the whole Cup competition.

2nd Round (Round of 32)

3rd Round (Round of 16)

Quarter-Finals

Semi-Finals

Final

 

THE WORTHLESS CUP

All 64 MfL teams will also compete in this competition. This is a straight knock-out, single legged format. No highest scoring losers anymore!

 

1st Round (64 teams)

2nd Round (32 teams)

3rd Round (Round of 16)

 

Money can be won for semi-finalists and finalists of The MfL Cup but The Worthless Cup is, traditionally, as the title suggests - Worthless. Both competitions count as a “major” trophy.

 

The MfL Vase Prem and Champ

Modified from last season! The MfL Vase trophies this season will be a league specific knock-out cup competition, to be played in the latter stages of the season.

 

Straight knock-out 32 teams, 5 rounds.

 

Prize money available.

 

REIGNING CHAMPIONS

MfL League Champion

Nick Lloyd

    Lloyd became the first manager who started their career in The Championship to become League Champion. This followed his Premiership Division 2 title the previous season.

 

MfL Cup Champion

Alex Tomkins

    Tomkins completed a career Cup double with his MfL Cup win. The closest he’s come to the league (and a career treble) was a 2nd place finish in 23/24.

 

Worthless Cup Champion

Adam Smith

    This was Smith’s first silverware in his career despite many division 1 finishes.

 

Championship Champion

Jimi Maddison

    Maddison became the 1st manager to have been relegated to The Championship to win subsequent promotion. It took him 2 seasons to get back up!

 

Other managers promoted from The Championship this season are Josh Baldwin (2nd place and automatic promotion), Adrian Revell (3rd Place and winner of the Play-off) and Jack Hartigan (Winner of the 4th place play-off)

 

Division 2 Champion - James McMahon-Harvey

Division 3 Champion - Dan Smith

Division 4 Champion - Michael Cole-Johnson

Championship Div 2 Champion - Michael Waugh

Championship Div 3 Champion - Ed Harlow

 

NEW TO THE LEAGUE

We welcome 7 new managers to The Championship this season, we hope you enjoy the game format! Welcome please:

 

Jack Stannage

Dominic Baldwin

Steven Nguyen

Tommy Clayden

Gabriel Janoras

Alastair Lawrie

Cagney Ross

 

 

PRIZE MONEY

Prize money can be earned in many different ways. Every Division of the league has prize money. MOTM for both leagues have prize money, as do the Vase competitions! Here is the breakdown of Prize money on offer this season: 

 

 

OTHER BUSINESS

You can find league details, history, stats and more on the website www.theMfL.co.uk. 

Do please get in touch if you have any questions!

 

Enjoy the season and good luck all!

 

Matt