FPL Blank and Double Gameweeks 2025/26: Season Recap and 2026/27 Outlook
The 2025/26 Premier League season is done. One Blank Gameweek and one Double Gameweek shaped the run-in - and most of the rank movement between March and May came down to chip timing around those two events.
Here's how it played out, what it taught us, and what to expect when 2026/27 starts.
What Is a Blank or Double Gameweek?
A Blank Gameweek (BGW) is when one or more teams have no fixture. Their players score zero.
A Double Gameweek (DGW) is when one or more teams play twice in the same week. Their players score across both matches.
Both happen when cup competitions — FA Cup, League Cup, European nights — clash with the league calendar. The Premier League reshuffles fixtures, and the manager who plans chips around those weeks gains a real edge.
How 2025/26 Played Out
Blank Gameweek 31 Arsenal, Manchester City, Crystal Palace and Wolves all sat out for FA Cup quarter-final commitments. Managers without a Free Hit — or a deep bench — left points on the table.
Double Gameweek 36 (the only DGW of the run-in) The Manchester City vs Crystal Palace fixture originally scheduled for GW31 was rescheduled into GW36, creating two doubles:
- Manchester City: Brentford (H), Crystal Palace (H)
- Crystal Palace: Everton (H), Manchester City (A)
No more blanks or doubles after GW36 At one stage, the FA Cup final looked like it might force a Blank Gameweek 37. The City–Palace rearrangement closed that door, and the rest of the season ran on a flat schedule.
Three Lessons From 2025/26
Chip timing beats chip count. Managers who burned a Free Hit on BGW31 saved points in the short term. The bigger swings came from those who held chips for GW36 and stacked Bench Boost or Triple Captain on the right City or Palace assets.
One DGW can decide a season. With only one double in the run-in, the cost of getting GW36 wrong was enormous. Owners of Haaland or a heavily-rotated Palace defender either climbed thousands of ranks or fell behind for good.
Postponed fixtures move. Plans built in March don't survive May. The City–Palace game floated between gameweeks for weeks before landing in GW36. Any structure built around assumed schedules earlier in spring looked very different by the end of the season.
What to Expect in 2026/27
Until the FA Cup draws and TV picks confirm, exact dates are unknown. The pattern, however, is reliable:
- One or two blanks in late February or March around FA Cup fifth round and quarter-finals
- A larger blank around the FA Cup semi-finals, typically between GW32 and GW34
- One or more doubles in the run-in, usually between GW34 and GW37, depending on how postponements pile up
We'll update this guide once the 2026/27 fixture list lands and reshuffles begin.
How FanYield Managers Read BGW and DGW
On FanYield, the gameweek schedule moves prices. Players in confirmed DGWs see demand spike. Players staring down a BGW sell off. Managers who read the schedule early and reposition their squad capture both sides of the move - the game isn't just to score points, it's to own the right players before the rest of the market catches up.
Build your squad. Trade the schedule. Outsmart your friends.
Play a Free Hit every week with 6 players and win original jersey.