Fantasy football is a game in which participants assemble an imaginary team of real life footballers and score points based on those players' actual statistical performance or their perceived contribution on the field of play. Usually players are selected from one specific division in a particular country, although there are many variations. The original game was created by Andrew Wainstein in England in 1991, when he set up Fantasy League Ltd after seeing the success of American fantasy sports games in the 1980s. Fantasy football has evolved in recent years from a simple recreational activity into a significant business due to exposure via the internet.

An emerging variant is club-based fantasy football in which participants select players from within their own club. Participating clubs typically have more than one football team and adopt club fantasy football to increase communication and banter between teams. Some clubs charge a nominal amount for players to enter a team and either use the proceeds as a fundraiser or to fund the fantasy league prizes. Club fantasy football leagues tend to be less sophisticated than the national variety since most clubs run them on a spreadsheet. Sports websites now offer online versions with both paid and free versions available.