--- title: "Guide: Setting your formation" description: "Guide: Setting your formation" url: https://support.goalunited.org/en/articles/171-guide-setting-your-formation collection: "Starter Guides" updated: 2026-10-11 language: en alternates: [fr, de, it, pl, es, tr] --- # Guide: Setting your formation Guide: Setting your formation The formation page is where you decide who plays and where they play. Reach it via Team → Line Up, by clicking the date/time of your next match at the top of the screen, or from the field icon next to any fixture in All Fixtures. > **Warning:** Your formation must be saved at least 60 minutes before kick-off. Late formations fall back to your Standard preset. ## **Placing Players** Drag players from the list on the left onto the pitch. A bar appears above each player as you drag them; a full bar means a good positional fit, an empty bar means a poor fit. Always try to play players in positions that match their trained skills. - Start eleven → highlighted in green in the player list once placed. - Bench → fill with up to 5 substitutes. - Injured players cannot be placed. Bruised players can play but risk further injury. - Suspended players cannot play and will be automatically replaced if placed in the lineup. > **Info:** When two players have similar strength, break ties by form, then energy, then endurance. ## **The 9-Sector System** The pitch is divided into 9 sectors, numbered like a numpad (1 = bottom-left, 9 = top-right). Each sector has a main position at its centre and sub-positions around it.

Position Type	Effect
Main position	Player contributes fully to their own sector.
Sub-position (shifted)	Player influences a neighbouring sector more, but contributes less to their own.
Keeper position	Player focuses 100% on their sector — no influence elsewhere.

Sub-positions also change which skill matters most. For example, a striker shifted to the left edge uses wingplay more than scoring — keep this in mind when fine-tuning. > **Info:** Aim to win as many of the 9 sectors as possible in your matches! ## **Special Jobs** You must assign all four special jobs before saving any formation. If you forget, the game assigns them randomly.

Job	Best Player for the Role
Captain	Charismatic personality + high experience. Never use introverted players. Gives a bonus to all 9 sectors.
Free Kicks	High offensive skill. Free Kick talent is a strong bonus.
Penalties	High offensive skill. Penalty Kicker talent is a strong bonus.
Corner Kicks	High passing skill. Corner Kick talent is a strong bonus.

> **Info:** A charismatic captain with 100 XP is 35% more effective than a non-charismatic player with the same XP. Personality matters more than position here. ## **Saving Presets** Save up to four formations as presets for quick recall later: - Standard preset → used automatically when no individual formation is set for a match. Keep this up to date at all times. - Friendly preset → set this with low effort to protect energy during non-competitive matches. - Custom presets → save specialised formations (e.g. defensive shape, or one that exploits a specific opponent). > **Warning:** After buying or selling players, always update your Standard preset. An outdated preset is a silent drain on your results. [Starter Guides](https://support.goalunited.org/collections/31)