The four relevant fixtures for Gameweek 1 are:
- Arsenal v Coventry City
- Hull City v Manchester United
- Manchester City v Bournemouth
- Fulham v Chelsea
The excitement is in the air; the predictions are already on sports & casino betting in South Africa, the UK, and the rest of the globe, and now it’s time to think about who the top captain contenders are for Gameweek 1 in FPL 26/27. Read on to find out.
The Top Captain Contenders for Gameweek 1 in FPL 26/27?
Here are the current top captain contenders for Gameweek 1 in FPL 26/27, but bear in mind that anything can change before Friday 21 August 2026.
Erling Haaland
Haaland, the international meme (if you followed the World Cup 2026, you’ll know) and living football god. Of course, he is our #1 pick for Gameweek 1. The price for the Manchester City forward is currently set at £15.5m, the highest starting price in FPL history.
Haaland had an incredible 25/26 season. He was FPL’s highest-scoring player, collecting 239 points through 27 goals and eight assists. He has also been FPL’s highest-scoring player after six Gameweeks in each of his four Manchester City seasons.
City’s first fixture is Bournemouth at home on Sunday 23 August. A risk to consider is that Haaland was expected to return late after Norway’s World Cup campaign, so his sharpness and pre-season minutes need monitoring. Still, he’s the best ‘safe’ captain.
Bruno Fernandes
Fernandes is another unreal player, and we know that so many of you will put him as first-choice captain for Gameweek 1 despite the other suggestions we give.
The Manchester United midfielder is valued at £12.0 million on FPL. Bruno finished only four points behind Haaland in 2025/26, finishing with 235 FPL points, 9 goals and an extraordinary 24 assists. His form after Michael Carrick became United head coach has been incredible, with 129 points in 17 Gameweeks, averaging 7.6 points per match.
United’s first game is away to a newly promoted Hull City on Saturday 22 August. After that, they have Ipswich, both of which games they should win, and those fixtures make him a strong captain option for Gameweek 2 as well as 1.
The same risk applies to Bruno: he should return later to pre-season after playing in the World Cup.
Gabriel (Arsenal)
The Arsenal defender isn’t necessarily the strongest candidate, but he is worth mentioning. He managed to accumulate 209 points in only 30 starts last season, which was the 3rd highest FPL total ever recorded by a defender. He was only 4 short of Andrew Robertson’s positional record.
Gabriel averaged 7.0 points per home start last season, very close to Haaland’s 7.4 and Bruno’s 7.3.
His price is currently set at £8.0m, and Arsenal’s first game is at home to promoted Coventry City, so definitely one they should easily win. Defenders receive 6 points for scoring, 4 for a clean sheet and 2 defensive-contribution points after reaching 10 qualifying actions. One Gabriel goal could produce a major captaincy haul.
The risks are that William Saliba is out for an extended period with a back problem, potentially weakening Arsenal’s clean-sheet prospects. The most likely outcome is a solid 6 to 8 point return rather than the explosive score available from Haaland or Bruno.
João Pedro
The newly signed Chelsea forward is set to make a massive impact this season. With a current price of £7.5 million, he’s really not a bad option. João managed to score 15 goals and 9 assists during his first Chelsea league season, which isn’t too bad considering Chelsea had a shocker of a season.
And, unlike the other options we’ve mentioned, João didn’t play in the World Cup, so he’s had a full summer break, giving him more time to prepare under new Chelsea head coach Xabi Alonso.
To strengthen his Gameweek 1 prospects, he scored a rapid hat-trick and provided an assist in Alonso’s first pre-season match.
The risk is that he blanked 17 of his 31 starts in the FPL 25/26, so he is less consistent than Haaland or Bruno. Another risk is that Chelsea are beginning another managerial transition, and you can’t predict how well it will go.
Who will you pick? We have some big-name captain contenders, and we know most people will probably go with Haaland or Fernandes, even though they are the more expensive options. Let’s see who gives us the most points from Gameweek 1!