FPL Gameweek 1: Haaland or No Haaland?
Should you start FPL Gameweek 1 with Erling Haaland? That is the defining decision of the preseason for many managers. At £15.5m, owning him reshapes the entire squad, but going without him carries obvious captaincy and ownership risk. Here is the case on both sides and where I currently land.
Set your squad before the Gameweek 1 deadline on Friday, Aug. 21 (1:30 p.m. ET, 90 minutes ahead of the 3 p.m. ET opener). For the full season board, see our FPL Top 400 rankings, and start at the Fantasy Premier League hub for everything 2026/27.
| Haaland in GW1 | Haaland out of GW1 |
|---|---|
| 70%+ ownership protection | Stronger overall squad |
| Elite ceiling | Easier Bench Boost |
| Mass captaincy protection | Bruno captain in GW1/GW2 |
| Easy long-term hold | More budget flexibility |
| Less chip planning needed | Easier early Wildcard structure |
The Case for Going Without Haaland in GW1
At £15.5m, fitting Haaland into a Bench Boost squad puts serious pressure on everything else. With injury doubts already surrounding budget enablers like Diego Gomez, navigating the budget becomes even harder. The Bench Boost simply looks stronger without him, and that chip is a big part of my early season plan.
There are also some genuine fitness question marks. Haaland played just 53 minutes in Sunday's Community Shield, and while I fully expect him to start in Gameweek 1, completing 90 minutes looks unlikely at this stage.
The captaincy argument is another factor worth sitting with. Bruno Fernandes faces Hull City in Gameweek 1, a side who were second bottom for expected goals conceded in the Championship last season. In isolation, that feels like the better armband decision. In Gameweek 2, Fernandes has Ipswich at home while Haaland draws Palace away, which again makes it difficult to justify switching the captaincy over.
If I am Bench Boosting in Gameweek 1, I also expect to be playing either my Wildcard or Free Hit fairly early in the season, at which point bringing Haaland back in is completely straightforward. Gameweek 3 feels like a natural chip week regardless, with Arsenal hosting Chelsea, City facing Coventry at home and United's fixtures beginning to stiffen. Players unavailable or lacking fitness due to World Cup exertions will also be back in contention by then, giving the Wildcard or Free Hit even more value. The timing works out neatly.
For more on the early-chip setup, see our FPL chip strategy.
The Case for Owning Haaland in GW1
Still, the argument for picking Haaland is not one to dismiss lightly. He's a historically fast starter in FPL, owned by almost 70% of managers and he will be mass captained from the first gameweek. If he hauls early and you are without him, the rank damage can be significant and difficult to claw back quickly. The fear of missing out is real with Haaland because the gap he can open up in a single gameweek is unlike almost any other player in the game.
His long-term ceiling also remains as high as it has ever been. Over a full season, Haaland tends to take care of himself, and planning your chip strategy around avoiding him rather than simply owning him is an added layer of complexity that not every manager will want to take on.
See how both structures compare in our Best FPL Team for Gameweek 1.
Should You Start With Haaland in Gameweek 1?
Ahead of GW1, I am leaning towards leaving Haaland out, but only just. The Bench Boost structure, Bruno captaincy in the first two Gameweeks and the flexibility to use an early Wildcard or Free Hit narrowly outweigh the security of owning him for my current setup. That could still change before the deadline, but right now I am starting without Haaland.
For my current setup, the Bench Boost structure and Bruno captaincy in the first two Gameweeks narrowly outweigh the security of owning Haaland. That could still change before the deadline, but right now I am starting without him.
For more players to target, see our 6 Must-Have FPL Picks for GW1 and 6 popular FPL players to avoid.
