After all that planning, the action is finally underway and managers' work can truly begin in earnest.
The first day of games provided wins for both and , and while stars from each racked up impressive hauls a pair of South African players saw red and ended up in the red in terms of points.
An early goal for the co-hosts, Raul Jimenez finally getting his name on a World Cup scoresheet and a trio of red cards - the opening game of the tournament is sure to have produced agony and ecstasy in equal measure for Fantasy managers worldwide.
FWD Julian Quinones (Mexico) | $5.6m | 10 points FWD Raul Jimenez (Mexico) | $7m | 10 points DEF Israel Reyes (Mexico) | $4m | 9 points
MID Yaya Sithole (South Africa) | $5.1m | -1 point MID Themba Zwane (South Africa) | $4.3m | -1 point MID Luis Chavez (Mexico) | $6.3m | 1 point
Hwang Inbeom is owned by just 0.1% of players but tallied the highest number of points from the day's action thanks to a goal and assist in Korea Republic's comeback win, while Czechia's Ladislav Krejci also garnered a decent return even in defeat.
MID Hwang Inbeom (Korea Republic, $5.8m) | 13 points DEF Ladislav Krejci (Czechia, $4.4m) | 10 points FWD Oh Hyeon-Gyu (Korea Republic, $4.9m) | 8 points
FWD Adam Hlozek (Czechia, $6.5m) | 1 point FWD Hwang Hee-Chan (Korea Republic, $6.1m) | 1 point MID Michal Sadilek (Czechia, $5.6m) | 1 point
For those looking to pivot the captaincy or utilise their bench options, there are some intriguing options worthy of consideration on the second day of action at the global finals.
Raul Rangel got the nod to start in goal for Mexico and earned seven points thanks to his clean sheet, for instance, but could it still be worth making a change in goal and bringing in a shot-stopper from another co-host? Canada's Maxime Crepeau has similar ownership to Rangel (4.8% v 5.2%), and may be deserving of a punt between the posts for managers keen to twist and push for more points from their No1.
Korea Republic's Lee Kangin ($6.1m) also picked up a dependable seven points, but it may be tempting to roll the dice and substitute in a different option for the Paris Saint-Germain forward. USA star Weston McKennie ($6.1m) and Paraguay live-wire Miguel Almiron ($6m) are both at similar price points, and if either are sat on your bench it would be understandable to think about bringing them in to maximise those attacking returns.
Sources: FIFA Official
