The highly anticipated moment for every fantasy manager is rapidly approaching. As the draft nears, the season’s first major dilemma also looms—one that tests friendships, disrupts WhatsApp groups, and complicates vacation plans: when is the best time to hold the Fanta draft?
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With more participants involved, it becomes increasingly challenging to agree on a suitable date. Yet before coordinating schedules for eight, ten, or twelve people, a key question arises: what’s the ideal time to organize the draft? This year presents a rather unique scenario in this regard.
🔶 No International Break Before Matchday 5
Here’s the significant update for this season: the traditional September international window has been merged with the October window. The break that typically follows the closing of the transfer window will not occur, which has often served as a natural marker for scheduling drafts.
The summer transfer window is set to close on Tuesday, September 1 at 8:00 PM. After that, with few exceptions, Serie A squads should mostly be finalized: no last-minute trades, abrupt departures, and a clearer picture of the players worth your credits. The catch? For once, the league continues without a pause.
🔶 When Should You Hold the Fanta Draft? Three Options to Consider
For those wishing to hold the draft strictly after the transfer window closes without missing any league matches, the window is tight: from September 1 to 4. This brief time frame poses a challenge to get everyone on the same page, but with the key advantage of knowing nearly all final rosters ahead of Serie A Matchday 3, which kicks off at 8:45 PM with Genoa-Como.
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The alternative approach is to hold the draft early, before the Serie A season begins on August 22. By doing so, you’ll kick off alongside the league, although it carries the risk that bold fantasy managers embrace: investing in players only to see them significantly impacted by transfer moves shortly thereafter.
For those who prefer to take their time, there’s the option of completely bypassing the transfer market. This allows for ample time to coordinate everyone’s schedules and, if desired, to wait for cooler evenings compared to those scorching summer days. However, this means you’ll have to accept a minor setback: missing the first five matchdays of the season.
However, the schedule can serve as an ally. From the end of Matchday 5 on September 21 to the league’s renewal on October 17, there will be a full 26 days to secure that all-important evening. Want to start ahead of the curve? You can even arrange it as early as September 18 to coincide with the start of Matchday 5, extending it to 29 days. By that point, finding a suitable date for everyone might just be easier—or at least it should be.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.