Soccer (calcio) has been the most beloved sport in Italy for over 100 years. It’s a huge passion for everyone, from children to the elderly, with fans supporting their local team, even if they play in a lower division, or the more famous Serie A clubs like Juventus, Milan, Inter, Napoli, and Roma.

Thanks to this passion, in 1990, Riccardo Albini, a journalist with expertise in video games and American culture, became famous throughout Italy for inventing Fantacalcio, a game that turned millions of Italians into virtual coaches and eventually became a true national phenomenon.

But how did Albini come up with the idea for Fantacalcio? In reality, Albini didn’t invent the game but adapted a very popular pastime in the United States, Fantasy Baseball, to Italian soccer. It was a brilliant idea nonetheless, as Albini, a pioneer, was able to tap into Italians’ passion for soccer, turning it into a game that over time captivated generations of both young and old.

After the first few years, when Fantacalcio was played with pen and paper using rules and charts bought in publications, the early 2000s saw the advent of the internet in Italian homes, leading to the creation of the first online Fantacalcio platforms. This made it easier for more people to join, and managing teams and scores became more accessible.

But Fantacalcio truly became a mass phenomenon starting in 2010 when tournaments were organized by the most widely read sports newspapers, such as La Gazzetta dello Sport, and many celebrities, especially former soccer players and actors, participated in these tournaments, becoming influencers of Fantacalcio.

With the growing national participation in various tournaments, organizers began offering higher and higher cash prizes, or other rewards linked to the world of soccer. To attract more people, different variations of the game were introduced, some more faithful to the original rules, and others more innovative and creative.

Today, the most popular versions are, in addition to Classic Fantacalcio, the traditional version with established rules and a standard scoring system, the Mantra, a more complex variant that assigns specific roles to players and has a more detailed market system, and Private Leagues, which are personalized versions of Fantacalcio with rules chosen by the participants themselves. Fantacalcio allows participants to showcase all their knowledge of the Italian soccer league.

Rules can vary slightly depending on the platform or private league, but in general, the mechanics are the same. The game begins with creating a team, where each participant (called a “fantamanager”) selects a set number of real players from the Serie A league. Participants then take part in an auction or market to purchase players, aiming to form the most competitive team possible within a limited budget. Each week, the manager selects 11 players to field, taking into account scheduled matches and the players' physical condition, which they stay updated on through sports newspapers or official club websites. The players selected in the lineup receive a score based on their real-life performance on the field (goals, assists, penalties, etc.). Every week, the Fantacalcio standings are updated, and the final winner is the one who has accumulated the most points during the season. It’s a truly exciting game for soccer enthusiasts, but more importantly, it’s a game that fosters connections and friendships.