Sorare Rivals is a free-to-play fantasy football game. You to take on friends or compete against strangers in one-off duels. All you need to do is register as a manager which you can do here.

You can play Rivals whenever football matches in Sorare's extensive list of covered competitions take place. That doesn't just include the big European leagues. Major League Soccer in North America, Japan's J League or the top leagues in Brazil and even Colombia are just some other examples. In short: You'll always find a game to play.

The most important bit: Sorare Rivals is completely free. And even better, winning games gives you the chance to win nice prizes. It's a great way to get to know Sorare and see whether you would also like to spend some money and join Sorare's Pro competitions.

Before doing that, you should also subscribe to our free newsletter. You’ll get a lot of news from Sorare and the big community straight to your inbox once a week.

How do I start playing?

You can start playing Rivals after you have registered on Sorare. Head to the Rivals game on the website or in the app and pick a match. Then you can build your line-up: one goalkeeper, one defender, one midfielder, one forward and one extra player (defender, midfielder or forward).

You can use players from both teams, but note the points cap. You can find the average number of points which your players have scored in the last 15 games. Together, your line-up is not allowed to exceed a certain threshold.

Pro tip: Build your line-up just before the game when the official starting line-ups have been announced. That helps you to avoid picking players who are not even playing (and therefore don't collect points).

How are the scores calculated?

Just like in other fantasy football games, Sorare uses its own scoring matrix. By and large, players earn points with their actions on the pitch. (You can find more details on the website.) At the end of the game, their score will be between 0 and 100.

In addition, you'll have to pick one of five tactics for your team which can earn you bonus points. Pick an attacking line-up and score bonus points when your players have enough shots on goal. Or you could "park the bus" and score bonus points when your players clear the ball a lot. Tactics matter.

Can I follow my games live?

Of course! When the game kicks off, you'll get to know your opponent. Have a look at the line-up and the tactics and see how that compares with your own choices. Player scores are tracked in (almost) real time so you can see whether you're winning or losing.

You can even substitute your players when they're not performing as well as you wanted them to play. Substitutions can be made up to five minutes after a player has entered the game in the real world.

What can I win in Sorare Rivals?

Great question. It's a free game, so the most likely wins are free items. You may win Arena tickets which you need to play more Rivals matches (one game per day is free, additional games will cost you one Arena ticket).

Other wins are also possible, and you'll very likely get some of those when you're playing a bit more. Football jerseys, player cards for the Sorare Pro version and much more.

You should also note that you'll start in the lowest division. Winning matches will win you reputation which is used to determine the rankings. Once a week, the best players in a division get promoted while the bottom players get relegated. Higher divisions offer better chances for bigger prizes – that's another reason to play consistently.

Is there a video for beginners?

Sorare manager Harry Trades has published a great video about how to play Sorare Rivals for free. It takes less than 10 minutes to learn the most important bits. Check it out on YouTube.

And if you want to have more information about Sorare and the entire community, don't forget to sign up to our free newsletter. It comes out once per week on Thursdays and provides a lot of content specifically for everybody who just started playing on Sorare.