Dream League Soccer 2026 Beginners Guide and Tips

From the house of First Touch Games, Dream League Soccer 2026 continues the legacy of one of the most popular mobile football games. The game blends fast-paced gameplay with deep team-building mechanics, allowing players to create their own club and climb through the divisions using a roster of over 4,000 FIFPro-licensed players.

With multiple refinements and new systems introduced over time, DLS 2026 shapes itself as a top title. In this Dream League Soccer (DLS) 2026 Beginners Guide, I’ll break down the key improvements and share essential tips to help new players kick off their football journey on the right foot.

We have also covered guides on how to progress across Divisions, how to play with friends, and how to earn Coins and Gems quickly. Additionally, check our Redeem codes guide for grabbing any freebies that come your way. Should you face any in-game issues, check our Customer Support article on how to connect with the game’s devs hassle-free.

Gameplay Overview of DLS 2026

The idea behind this game is simple: play games, collect top players, build your team, and upgrade everything on offer. Dream League Soccer 2026 focuses on steady progression, where clubs improve over time through matches, squad development, and infrastructure upgrades.

Returning players will find their progress carried over, including their existing squad and Academy Division status. New players begin with a basic lineup rated around the 50-60 OVR range, which gradually improves as the game opens up more systems and features.

As progression continues, players can upgrade their stadium, invest in Training and Medical facilities, unlock new formations, sign agents to scout talent, and eventually add legendary players with 80+ OVR ratings to their squad.

Getting started with Dream League Soccer 2026

Selecting Manager and Player

To kick-start the journey, you first choose a manager from three default face options, which can be customized later. After naming the manager, the game moves on to selecting a team captain, and this is where new players get an early advantage: the option to start with a Legendary player right from the beginning.

This initial choice provides a valuable boost to the squad, especially during the early matches. Once the selections are complete, Dream League Soccer 2026 introduces the first match, designed to familiarize us with the in-game controls.

While this match can be skipped, the game continues to provide on-screen tutorials during early matches to help us get comfortable with the gameplay mechanics. As a Jumpstart, all users receive around 1200 coins and 40 gems. While coins can be earned easily, Gems are hard to come by. You must use your in-game resources wisely.

Getting to know the controls

Unlike other football titles that rely on clearly labelled Shoot, Pass, Skill, and similar buttons, Dream League Soccer 2026 uses a different system. Player movement is handled using the virtual joystick, while most actions depend on how you tap, hold, or swipe the on-screen buttons.

While attacking, you see the Low Kick, Hard Kick, and Lofted Kick options. Low Kick is best for low passes, while if you are through on goal or want to take a shot, use Hard Kick. Lofted Kick serves as both long ball passes as well as chipped goals.

On the defensive side, the controls focus on timing and positioning rather than button spamming. You can apply pressure by holding the pressure button, switching players to stay tight on attackers, or attempting a sliding tackle when needed. Goalkeeper charge is also available in one-on-one situations.

If you’re new to the game, keeping the virtual stick visible and enabling descriptive button text can make learning the controls much easier before moving on to competitive modes. There’s also an option to connect your controller, which you can refer to this guide.

Introducing the Game Modes in DLS 26

Exhibition Mode

Exhibition Mode offers offline, friendly matches and is mainly designed for casual play. While there isn’t much progression or reward tied to this mode, it can still be useful if you’re just starting out.

Playing a few offline exhibition matches helps you get comfortable with the controls and test whether your chosen formation suits your playstyle before moving into competitive modes.

The Team Formation would be set at Default 4-4-2, and the only other Formation unlocked by default is 4-1-2-1-2. Friendly Matches are fun, no doubt. Competing with your friends and flexing your skills in front of them is a mandate, isn’t it?   

Career Mode

Career Mode is where teams from across the globe compete through eight different divisions, and it’s the mode you should focus on first as a beginner. Each match you complete earns you Season Points and in-game Coins, which are essential for early progression.

As you rise the divisions, the rewards double up, and you even get to earn Gems, which are otherwise very hard to earn. You can even watch a 30-second in-game award after each game to double up your rewards.

Dream League Live

Here, you compete against other players online in real time. Your performance in these matches earns you Gems, which are awarded based on your position on the weekly leaderboard. As the leaderboard resets every week, timing your grind can make a difference.

In addition to regular online matches, Special Cup Events go live during festive occasions. These limited-time events follow a knockout format and reward you with in-game items based on how far you progress.

Scenario

In Dream League Soccer 2026, the Scenarios mode simply puts you in a situation where your team is losing, and you have to defeat the Hard AI difficulty level to win. Every day, 50 in-game coins are awarded for completing Daily Scenarios. So, be certain not to miss out on these.

Dream League Soccer 2026 Beginners Guide: Tips and Tricks

Here are some useful in-game tips from the DLS 2026 Beginners Guide to help you stay on the right track and build your Dream Team smoothly.

1. Choosing the Ideal Captain

At the start of your journey, you’re asked to choose a Legendary player as your team captain from a list of big names. If you’re in your first season, it’s best to pick an attacker or a midfielder, as strengthening your attack early on makes it easier to score goals and win matches.

Make sure you keep defenders and midfielders on your substitution bench, along with one reliable striker you can bring on when you need a goal. As you begin climbing through the divisions, your focus can gradually shift toward building a stronger defensive line to handle tougher opponents.

2. Choosing the Suitable Formation

Team management plays a key role in Dream League Soccer 2025, and choosing the right formation can make a big difference. By default, you have access to the 4-4-2 formation and its close variant, the 4-1-2-1-2. To unlock additional formations, you’ll need to upgrade your club’s Training Centre.

If you’re a beginner, the 4-1-2-1-2 (Attacking) formation is a solid option to start with. The two central midfielders help balance the team, with one supporting attacks and the other staying more involved defensively.

When attacking, the wide midfielders can move into open spaces, giving your fullbacks more freedom to push forward and build attacks down the wings. Ultimately, your formation should suit your playstyle and starting XI, so it’s a good idea to test a couple of offline Exhibition matches before settling on one.

3. Resource Management

Managing in-game resources properly is crucial, especially when it comes to Gems. Gems are difficult to earn, so you should avoid spending them unnecessarily. Most of your early-game spending should be done using Coins, whether it’s for hiring physios or signing scouting agents.

Coins are relatively easy to earn through Career Mode and even offline matches, while Gems are far more limited. You mainly earn Gems by completing Daily Challenges or finishing high on the Dream League Live weekly leaderboard, so every Gem counts.

Avoid spending Gems on Legendary Agents, as the players they offer are generally not worth the cost. Similarly, spending Gems on coaches isn’t necessary early on, since coaches can be obtained by releasing players from your squad. Instead, save your Gems for stadium upgrades, which provide long-term benefits.

4. Keep upgrading your Stadium

The first thing that you should focus on as a beginner is to upgrade your Stadium Facilities. This is much needed if you are to climb up the Divisions and make way for Elite Players in your Team. We have already discussed each Stadium Facility and the perks of upgrading them.

In addition to that, the bonus in-game resources that you receive after each game also increase as you upgrade the Stadium. You won’t have too many coins and gems initially, hence I suggest you start with the Stadium, Commercial, and Medical Facilities first.

5. Visit the store daily

Well, this isn’t a very big deal, right? But trust me, we all miss doing this. The reason why I tell you this is that, as a beginner, the Daily Bonus the store gives us is of utmost importance.

We’ll receive something or the other as a reward that will help us push our ratings, hence make sure you start your day by claiming the reward.

6. Don’t skip the Daily Challenges and Division Objectives

As mentioned earlier, make it a habit to log in daily and complete the Daily Challenges. These not only reward you with useful in-game resources but also grant Season Points, which contribute toward progressing through the Season Pass and unlocking additional rewards.

Alongside this, make sure you stay on top of your Division Objectives. Completing these objectives is essential for securing promotion and continuing your climb through the divisions.

7. Stay Attentive in the Live Transfer Market

To build towards signing Elite players, you need to stay active in the Transfer Market. Regularly buying and selling players helps refresh the market, increasing the chances of higher-rated players appearing.

If you ignore the transfer window for long periods, elite options are unlikely to show up, which can slow down your squad’s overall progress.

Check our other Beginners Guide below:

• Total Football Beginners Guide
• Ronaldo: Kick’n’Run Football Beginners Guide
• AFK Football: RPG Soccer Games Beginners Guide
• Real Football Beginners Guide
• Ultimate Football Club Beginners Guide
• Pro 11 – Football Manager Beginners Guide

That’s all for today’s Dream League Soccer 2026 Beginners guide. Did you find my Dream League Soccer 2026 Beginners Guide helpful? Do let us know by commenting below!

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