All Eras XI game modes

Choose a mode by the result you want to chase: a perfect season, a knockout trophy, a survival streak or a win over friends. Each changes what a good draft needs.

Classic 38-0-0

Draft eleven players from English club seasons and chase 38 wins against 19 opponents, each faced home and away. Winning the league and winning it unbeaten are milestones along the way. A balanced midfield helps both scoring and defending, making it valuable throughout the campaign. The Classic 38-0-0 guide explains the pool, settings and achievements.

World Cup Legends

National-team selections supply the players for a multinational XI. Three group matches lead into four knockout rounds, with shootouts settling level knockout ties. Defence matters because one defeat can end the tournament, while midfield quality supports both ends. Read the World Cup Legends guide before spending your re-spins on another forward when the back line needs help.

Treble Chasers

One XI tackles a 38-match league, a four-round domestic cup and a European campaign beginning with eight league-phase matches. Winning all three delivers the treble. Spend your best picks across the team: the league rewards repeated quality, while knockout ties punish vulnerable lines. The Treble Chasers guide covers qualification, scoring and the separate trophy paths.

5-a-side Arena

Five picks build a side for The Cage, where mixed All-Star opponents become stronger each round. Wins and draws extend your streak; the first defeat ends the run. Choose between two shapes and protect the quality of your single striker and keeper. The 5-a-side Arena guide explains why each selection carries so much weight.

English Archive

Choose an available season or roam all eras, then draft across the clubs offered by the archive. The finished XI plays the perfect-season format. Familiarity helps you recognise useful players further down a squad list, particularly when its strongest name fills a role already taken. The English Archive guide explains the collection and cross-era rating comparisons.

Survival Mode

Seventeenth place is safety in a 20-team, 38-match division; the bottom three go down. The draft favours weaker squads from recent English Archive seasons, so extracting a reliable starter from an ordinary team becomes central to the task. Opposition is selected around your XI’s strength, with several weaker sides and a larger group of demanding rivals. Elite opposition and Hardcore make that field tougher. Build towards useful points across the season: take a competent keeper when offered, preserve natural defensive fits and use midfielders who contribute at both ends. A safe finish completes the main objective.

Giant Killer

Build an underdog XI from a draw weighted towards weaker club squads, then attempt seven single-match cup rounds. The route starts at the First Round and runs through to the Final, with opposition strength rising along the way under Mixed settings. Each tie produces a winner, using a shootout when the score is level. Defeat ends the cup run; seven wins lift the trophy. An outstanding attacker helps, but the later opponents also test your defence. Spend a re-spin where the available players would leave your weakest line exposed, and keep natural or listed alternative positions in mind.

Bidding War

Three CPU managers compete with you across eleven player-selection rounds. Each shortlist contains four players, and bids buy selection priority: every manager pays their bid, then receives a player. One round supplies keepers. Choose a national-team, current English or archive pool; Casual supplies three passes for outfield shortlists. Your four completed sides play a home-and-away league, with the top two entering a deciding final. Winning that final wins the Auction Cup. Save money for scarce roles and judge each shortlist by your remaining spaces. A large bid makes sense when the difference between first and later choice materially improves your XI.

Dynasty

Draft a founding XI from the recent English Archive pool, then carry it through successive seasons of league and domestic cup football. The first draft supplies three re-spins. Between seasons, scout offers let you replace players, with the signing allowance influenced by how comfortably you met the board’s league target. Reputation brings stronger opponents and higher expectations. A league title is a clear success; keeping your career alive is the continuing challenge, and reputation reaching zero brings dismissal. Target the biggest improvement among the available signings. A better fit in a weak position can serve the club across several seasons.

Head to Head

Invite one opponent and choose a single-match, best-of-three or best-of-five series. Both managers draft from the same squad sequence and settings, using a club or national-team pool. The completed XIs then face each other directly in neutral matches. A level score goes to penalties, so every leg has a winner. Reach the required number of leg wins to take the series; your rival reaching it first ends your challenge. Between undecided legs, each manager can make up to two transfers. Use the revealed opposition to identify your weaker line before choosing replacements, and balance immediate improvement against positional fit.

Daily challenge

A shared draft and one ranked attempt put everyone against the same daily objective. The challenge changes at midnight UK time and can reward defending, team goals, goal difference or one scorer’s total. Read the target before choosing players: a Golden Boot draft has different priorities from a clean defensive campaign. The daily challenge guide explains the ranking order.

Mini-Leagues

Create a group, invite friends and compare drafts across a season of rounds. Everyone receives the same squad sequence, then the host reveals the teams and starts their simulations. CPU entries complete each round’s field of 20. Consistent finishes and round wins shape the season table. The Mini-Leagues guide explains invitations, settings and the optional mid-season transfer window.

Which mode to play

For the shared spin, pick and placement process, start with how to play All Eras XI.