Every time the new FPL season comes along, it comes along with the same old brutal maths. You get 100 million to spend and you have to divide between 15 correct picks, while the best players/picks keep getting more and more expensive. However, every season also brings also gems and must haves, in this article we will explore the 5 FPL must-have players for 2026/27. Haaland (£15.5m), Bruno Fernandes (£12.0m), João Pedro (£7.5m), Szoboszlai (£7.0m), Mosquera (£5.5m) make the list today and I believe will be the key differences between you starting at the top of your mini-league or right at the bottom.
Link to all our 2026/27 Pre-Season articles including all team pre-season friendly updates, best drafts, fixture analysis, position-wise analysis, differentials, players to target, budget enablers and more. Completely free to access as well!
Why “template†picks matter this season?
Template picks are those highly-owned players who end up forming the backbone of most successful teams. Can you get by without them? Sure, people have, but look at the numbers: Haaland was the most owned and the guy who was also captained the most, which means a big haul could probably push you so back that you would struggle to get a good rank.
FPL's new pricing brings along an ever bigger headache now. Haaland is now the most expensive player ever having being priced at whopping 15.5 Million this season, which means owning him leaves you with just 84.5 Million for the remaining 14 players. And with Salah gone, Bruno Fernandes has gone by 3.0 million making him 12.0 million, which means owning him + Haaland sets you back 27.5 Million.
Hence to own this expensive 2026/27 FPL Must Have Premium spine, you need value picks, which is why picks like Mosquera (5.5) and Szoboszlai (7.0) become essential must haves. Templates aren't just the most expensive and flashy picks, they are also the structure pick which supports the stars.
You can win FPL with your differentials picks, but you can most definitely lose it by missing out on the essentials.
Let's now take a look at the template players for the upcoming 2026/27 FPL Season.
5 Essential Players for 2026/27 FPL Season
Erling Haaland – £15.5m
The Numbers
The most expensive player in FPL history ever, the Norwegian Striker scored 239 points last season, topping the points chart, all due to his 27 goals and 8 assists which also earned him his 3rd Golden Boot. He averaged 3.84 shots (highest in the league), 1.55 big chances (highest in the league) while also averaging 0.78 xG (also highest in the league!). This is why he is one of the FPL Must Own Player for the 2026/27 season.
Talking Points: Fast Starts & Great Fixtures
Haaland has started all of his four seasons at Manchester City brillantly, he has been the top scoring player after 6 weeks in each of these four seasons. In this window, he has averaged a whopping 9 goals, meaning 1.5 goals per game! It almost makes him the set-and-forget captain pick for the start of the season.
He also has a good start to the season playing Bournemouth (H), Crystal Palace (A), Coventry City (H), Manchester United (A) and Sunderland (H). If you would like to take a risk early on, you could even look at triple captaining him in GW3 against Coventry City.
The Risk To Weigh
With Haaland there's not much risk, especially start of the season. However, he is coming off a world cup campaign where he led Norway to a quarter final and his body could be slightly fatigued. Having said that, Haaland should be fine, just see how it plays out over the preseason.
Fantasy Football Hub(FFHUB)
Bruno Fernandes – £12.0m
The Carrick Effect
The joint biggest riser of the season (price going up by £3.0 million), Bruno Fernandes scored 235 points last season just 4 less than Erling Haaland himself. With 9 goals and a record breaking 24 FPL assists, Bruno is second on our list of FPL must-have players for the upcoming 2026/27 season.
From GW22 onwards, under Carrick, Bruno was the single top scoring player in FPL. A whopping 129 points, averaging 7.6 points/game. The number 10 role has got Bruno playing his best again with him returning in 14 out of the 17 games under the ex-United midfielder.
Bruno Fernandes Creativity Rank last season(Premier League):
- Chances created- 1st
- Big Chances Created- 1st
- xA- 1st
- Assists- 1st
Talking Points: Multiple Routes & Good Start
Other than his brilliant form under Micheal Carrick, Bruno also provides multiple route to points including Defcons (he crossed the 12 DC threshold in 5 games last season), penalties, corners and free-kicks. With Youri Tielemans signing, this almost makes sure Bruno plays that free flowing attacking role.
He also starts the season off well playing Hull (A), Ipswich Town (H), Everton (A), Manchester City (H) and Fulham (A). This gives an alternate captaincy option to Haaland.
Risks to Weigh
Having said all this, Bruno does turn 32 this season. While he has looked like a million bucks last season, age could catch up to him soon especially with fixture congestion being a concern for Manchester United with the Champions League up ahead. He is also coming off a underwhelming world cup, which could have some effect on his performances. But ever since he has joined United he has been the best player and leader for them and nothing less should be expected of him.
Further Read: FPL Rotational Pairs & Combinations for the 2026/27 FPL Season
João Pedro – £7.5m
The Numbers & The Value
Despite scoring 177 points, Pedro's price tag did not go up from last season, which actually makes him one of the best, if not the best, value-for-points forwards in the game. With 15 goals and 9 assists last season, while also having great underlying numbers proves him as a solid pick. Also, 50%+ of players already own him, which means going without him is already a big risk.
Talking Points: New Manager, No Champions League and Fixtures
Chelsea don't have any mid-week European fixtures this season and under Xabi Alonso, we could se Joao Pedro reach even bigger heights this season. However, do confirm this in the pre-season under the new manager.
He also starts off the season well, just like the rest of players in this FPL Must-own players list, playing Fulham (A), Brighton (H), Arsenal (A), Hull City (H) and Brentford (A).
Risks To Weigh
Under a new manager and Chelsea's crowded forward line, the role of Joao Pedro is still to be known and how Xabi Alonso will use him will only be known as the pre-season rolls in. His output also tailed off last season and he also did end up missing out on the Brazilian World Cup team.
Further Read: Best £4.0 Million FPL Defenders for 2026/27 FPL Season
Dominik Szoboszlai – £7.0m
The Numbers
A 160 point season saw Liverpool's Hungarian midfielder get a boost of £0.5m on his price tag. The 25 year old was one of the shining lights in a rather lackluster seasons for the Reds. His 6 goals and 7 assists combined with some brililant underlying stats:
- 6.81 xA (96th Percentile among Premier League Players)
- 11.59 xGi (92nd Percentile)
- 78 Chances Created (99th Percentile)
- 14 big chances Created (97th Percentile)
He also recorded 20 Defcon points in 36 games. A complete package who is a minutes monster (starting 36 out of 38 games last season) with the nominal price of £7.0 million is why Szoboszlai is one of the FPL Must-Have Players for the upcoming season.
Talking Points: Great Start to The Season
Szoboszlai & Liverpool also have a friendly start to the season playing Newcastle (A), Nottingham Forest (H), Ipswich Town (A), Fulham (H) and Bournemouth (A) in his first five games. While it remains to be seen what role Dominik plays under the new manager, given his quality and ability we can expect him to hit the ground running.
Szoboszlai on Iraola: “He is very good. The intensity we need is here now, what we have been missing is back. From the coach side and the players, now we have to put this together.â€
Risks To Weigh In
While Szobozlai had a great last season, so did his teammate Ryan Gravenberch who scored 144-points in 34 starts scoring 5 and assisting a further 5. He is priced at £6.0m this season, a full £1.0 million lower than his Hungarian teammate and is currently owned by less than 2% of FPL players. It would be wise to take a look at how each of these players are playing under the new manager before cementing your pick as Gravenberch also has very good potential to be an excellent differential pick and could easily work against Szobozlai owners on his day.
Wirtz is another pick who could do really well from Liverpool as Iraola referred to him as a complete player and playing as a No.10 in pre-season. He could be one of the FPL Picks from Liverpool who could outscore Wirtz.
Andoni Iraola says he sees Florian Wirtz as a No 10 and not as a left winger. Wants him behind the striker and says he is a “complete playerâ€.
Fantasy Football Hub(FFHUB) Free AI Team Rating Tool
Cristhian Mosquera – £5.5m
The Enabler
The cheapest pick in this article, Mosquera is highly expected to be the starting center-back alongside Gabriel with Saliba out injured. Arsenal's defense was one of the best in the league last season keeping 18 clean sheets and despite Saliba's injury, the structure should remain solid.
Priced at just £5.5m and expected to start the season, Mosquera is someone who will “enable†you to have those premium players like Haaland and Bruno in your squad. And with Gabriel now priced at £8.0m, Mosquera gives you a cheaper route into the impenetrable Arsenal defense.
Talking Points: Stats & Fixtures
Arsenal start their season with a home fixtures against Covenrty City, followed by a trip to Aston Villa, a home game to Chelsea, finishing the first 5 Gameweeks with trips away to Sunderland and Brighton. A soft opening 5 games can mean valuable clean sheet points are up for grab for Arsenal.
It is important to note that Mosquera started just 9 games last season and played a total of 986 minutes, but despite that he able to record 95 defensive contributions, averaging just around 9 Defcons/90. With his playing time increased, this number is sure to go up.
Risk To Weigh In
With Timber's recovery taking a hit and Saliba out long-term, Mosquera automatically becomes the first choice. But the lack of minutes last season could be a little problematic as Saliba's shoes are not easy to fit into and the question remains whether Mosquera will be able to do justice to this role.
Arteta's pre-season will be an interesting watch, but if news from inside the Arsenal camp is anything to by, Mosquera does look certain starting the season alongside Gabriel.
Further reads from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL GW1 of the 2026/27 FPL Season
Best & Funny FPL Team Names for 2026/27 PL Season
Best FPL GW1 Drafts for the 26/27 FPL Season with Pros & Cons
FPL Fixture Analysis for 2026/27 Season- Teams with Best and Worst fixtures
Best £5.0-5.5 Million FPL Defenders for the 2026/27 FPL Season
Best £4.0 Million FPL Defenders for 2026/27 FPL Season
AK's FPL First Draft & Team Reveal | 3x Top 5K Finishes
What is Team ID in FPL? | How to Get a Low FPL Team ID for the 2026/27 Season
2026/27 FPL Season – New Rules & Changes | What's New in FPL?
Best Premium Defenders for 2026/27 season based on Stats and Fixtures
FPL Rotational Pairs and Combinations for 2026/27 FPL Season
Five Must Own Players in GW1 for FPL 2026/27 season
If you're new to FPL, here is a link to all our FPL Beginners Guide including FPL Beginner's Guide- How to play?, Bench boost, Team value, Triple captain, Effective ownership, Price Changes, Free Hit, Bonus Points, and more.
Link to all our 2026/27 Pre-Season articles including all position-wise analysis, team previews, fixture analysis, position-wise analysis, and more. Completely free to access as well!
Thanks for reading the “Five Must Own FPL Players to Have in Your GW1 FPL Team†blog. Keep checking allaboutfpl.com for regular blogs. Also, follow our 11000+community on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to stay updated on regular Posts and FPL updates.
What's next from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL Gameweek 1 of the 2026/27 FPL Season?
We'll be covering FPL team structures, must-own players, player comparisons, differential picks, fixture analysis, captaincy metrics, multiple FPL drafts with pros and cons, chip strategy, rules guide, beginners guide, FPL tips, and more. Keep checking allaboutfpl.com for all our blogs and subscribe to our free newsletter through the link below. We'll also be posting regularly about the same on our social media accounts, so follow us on Twitter/X, Instagram, Threads, and Facebook keep our notifications ON.
Our content is always free, and if you like our content, do drop a comment, follow, subscribe, and support us. Your love is what keeps us going:)
