Football guides & explainers
Every guide in one place: the daily football games, what every role and formation actually does, how to win at Football Manager 26, and how the business of football works behind the scenes.
Don't wait for FM27: Gaffa already has 2026/27 squads and updated player ratings. Free, no download, and it plays with no signal. Play Gaffa · FM27: what we know · Free football draft games
Daily games and community
The five daily games, leaderboards, 1v1 challenges and the BALLKNW Discord.
Daily Football Games
All five daily games, how scoring works and how to keep a streak going.
Deep Cut: Name the Player Nobody Else Will
One question, three answers, and why the obvious names score worst.
Crowd Favourite: Think Like the Crowd
The reverse of Deep Cut: guess the answers most people gave.
60 Seconds: The One-Minute Football Quiz
One category, one minute. How it works and how to score more.
Higher or Lower: The Football Stats Game
Six rotating stats, one life, and how to keep your run alive.
Daily Draft: Build a 4-4-2, Hit the Target
One board per draft per day, the same for everyone, with streaks.
1v1 Football Challenge Links
Send a link, play the same board, settle the argument.
The BALLKNW Football Discord
Where players post results, argue answers and find 1v1 opponents.
FM27 and the 2026/27 season
Built from the squads and updated player ratings in Gaffa: who to manage, who to sign, and every squad ranked.
Football Manager 27 (FM27)
What to expect from FM27, and how to play the 2026/27 season now.
FM27 player ratings
How the ratings work, and the 2026/27 ratings you can play today.
Is FM27 free?
The honest free options, and a free football manager with 2026/27 squads.
How much will FM27 cost?
What recent editions cost, how to pay less, and a free option.
FM27 on Chromebook, phone or tablet
What runs where, and what to play on a Chromebook.
FM27 vs FM26
Whether to upgrade, and how to play 2026/27 squads while you decide.
Football manager 2026/27, with updated player ratings
Gaffa is a free football manager with this season's squads and player ratings: 492 real clubs, 28 leagues, the 2026/27 season.
Best teams to manage in 2026/27
For every one of Gaffa's 28 leagues: the club to pick if you want to win now, a good mid-table project, and the hardest job going, all on 2026/27 ratings.
The hardest teams to manage in 2026/27
If winning the league with the best squad bores you, these are the 2026/27 jobs that will test you.
Best young players to sign in 2026/27
The best under-21s in the 2026/27 season, from every league in Gaffa, with how far each one could go.
FM26 and the 2026/27 season
Football Manager 26 starts in the 2025/26 season. If you want to manage this season's squads, here are your options.
Play football manager offline, for free
A full football manager with 2026/27 squads that keeps working on the train, the plane and the Underground.
Tactics, roles and formations
What every position and system actually does on the pitch, in plain English.
What is a trequartista?
The Italian free role: total creative licence, almost no defensive work.
What is a regista?
The deep-lying playmaker who sets the tempo from in front of the defence.
What is a mezzala?
The half-winger: a central midfielder with a licence to drift wide and attack.
What is a high press?
Squeezing the opposition inside their own third, and what it costs you.
What is gegenpressing?
Counter-pressing: winning the ball back within seconds of losing it.
What is tiki-taka?
Short passing, constant movement, and the triangles that made it work.
What is a 4-4-2 formation?
Two banks of four, two strikers, and why it still works.
What is a 4-3-3 formation?
Modern football's default: three midfielders, three forwards, endless variations.
What is a 3-5-2 formation?
Three at the back, two wing-backs, and the fitness bill that comes with it.
What is a number 10?
The creator in the pocket, football's most glamorous job.
What is a holding midfielder?
The screen in front of the back four, and why the team collapses without one.
What is a wing-back?
The whole flank, both jobs, ninety minutes, football's hardest running job.
What is a target man?
Hold-up play, headers, and why direct teams still need one.
What is a sweeper-keeper?
The keeper as an eleventh outfielder, and the risk that comes with it.
What is a box-to-box midfielder?
The engine: defends, attacks, and covers the ground between.
Football Manager 26 and management games
Which version to buy, and how to win once you have it.
Football Manager 26 vs FM26 Mobile
Same name, same database, very different games.
FM26 Touch vs the full game
Same match engine, none of the admin. Who Touch is actually for.
Best Football Manager games for Steam Deck
The full game in your hands, with the control and battery caveats.
Best Football Manager games for Switch
Touch is the pick, and realistically the only one worth buying.
Best Football Manager games for Mac
The full game runs natively on Apple Silicon, plus the no-install options.
Best free Football Manager games
Four genuinely free options, and where "free-to-play" starts costing.
Best online Football Manager games
Real opponents, live leagues, and which one suits how you play.
Best single-player Football Manager games
No schedules, no opponents online, just you and a save file.
Best multiplayer Football Manager games
Playing your mates: the casual pick, the deep pick, and the long-league pick.
Is Football Manager 26 worth buying?
The annual upgrade question, answered by which version you own now.
FM26: best tactics and formations
Formations that work, and the principle that beats copying someone else's.
FM26: best budget wonderkids
Where cheap potential hides, and how to get to it first.
FM26: how to make money
Player trading, European nights, and the wage bill that quietly kills clubs.
FM26: how to develop youth players
Facilities, coaching, loans and the one factor that matters most.
FM26: player roles explained
Every role by position, and how to match one to a player.
FM26: team and player instructions
What each instruction really does, and why fewer is better.
FM26: how to build a winning squad
Audit, plan, recruit, integrate, squad building that survives three seasons.
FM26: getting the best from your star player
Position, role, morale, workload, and the trap of one-man teams.
FM26: surviving your first season
The first month, the first window, and how not to get sacked.
FM26: using data and analytics
Which numbers change decisions, and which just look impressive.
FM26: staff roles explained
Who to hire first, and what each member of staff actually changes.
FM26: board expectations and club vision
What the board actually judges, and how to keep them onside.
FM26: player complaints and morale
Complaints, team talks, and stopping unrest before it spreads.
FM26: transfer strategies for small clubs
No money, no problem: free transfers, loans and undervalued markets.
FM26: building a dynasty
A ten-season plan: identity, pipeline, infrastructure, patience.
FM26 how-to guide
Tactics files, holiday, the editors, updates and system requirements.
Draft games
How the BALLKNW draft games work, and the numbers behind them.
Football Draft Games Explained
The rules, the two modes and a strategy that works in every draft.
£442M: The Transfer-Fee Draft
What counts as a fee, why academy players cost nothing, and how to land on £442m.
What Is a Transfermarkt Market Value?
The difference between value and fee, and who is worth the most.
442 Caps: The International Caps Draft
What a cap is and who has the most in the Premier League.
How FPL Prices Work
The budget, price changes and the priciest players this season.
How EA SPORTS FC Ratings Work
What an overall rating measures and who tops the Premier League.
How football works
Stats, transfers, and the jobs behind the scenes at a football club.
What is expected goals (xG)?
What the number means, how it is built, and where it misleads.
What is route one football?
Long balls, second balls, and why it still wins matches.
What is total football?
The Dutch idea that positions are roles, not places.
What is a derby in football?
Why the fixture list has matches that ignore the table.
What is the transfer window?
How the two windows work, and what actually happens inside them.
How the loan system works
Who pays, who benefits, and where loan deals go wrong.
What does a football scout do?
The job behind every good signing, and what the reports contain.
What does a sporting director do?
The job between the boardroom and the dugout.
How to become a football scout
The routes in, the qualifications, and the honest version of the job.
How to get into football analytics
Skills, portfolio, and where the jobs actually are.
Transfer news
Arsenal transfer round-up: the window as it stands: fees agreed, bids lodged, and who is closest to leaving.
Put the theory to work
Gaffa is a free browser football manager: pick a club, set your tactics and play a full season. No download, no account, nothing to install.