Hidden Eleven
Football team chemistry explained: club, nation and league links
Two squads with the same ratings can finish a long way apart. The difference is chemistry: bonus points for players who are linked by club, nationality, league or position. This guide explains exactly how chemistry is scored in Hidden Eleven and how to draft for it.
On this page
How a score is built
Your final score is the sum of a few parts. The numbers below are the game's default values:
| Part | How it's worked out |
|---|---|
| Line averages | The average rating of your defence (including the goalkeeper), midfield and attack, added together |
| Card chemistry | Each card has an easy, medium and hard challenge, worth 2, 4 and 6 points |
| Squad challenges | 5 points for each squad-wide challenge you complete |
| Line leaders | 2 points for each line where you own the best-rated card in the match |
| Abilities | Captain doubles one card's chemistry; a Yellow Card costs its target 20 points |
The line averages are the biggest part, but they are close between two sensible squads. Chemistry is where most matches are won.
Card chemistry: three challenges per card
Every card you draft comes with three chemistry challenges: an easy one, a medium one and a hard one. Tap a card to see them. Each challenge is met or not met independently, based on your whole lineup, so one card can earn 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 or 12 points.
The challenges are built from a handful of link types:
- Same club: enough players from one club in your lineup (usually two).
- Same nation: enough players of one nationality (usually two).
- Same league: enough players from one league (usually three).
- Position group: enough players in one area of the pitch, such as defence or attack.
- Club or nation plus position: both conditions at once, for example two players from a club and two players in midfield.
Because the challenges are checked against your whole lineup, one good link often completes challenges on several cards at once. Two players from the same club can each meet a same-club challenge, which is why club pairs are so valuable.
Squad challenges
On top of card chemistry, each manager gets a set of squad challenges, shown as chips under the squad preview while you draft, with a counter such as 1/2. They ask for things like a number of players from one nation, players from two named clubs, a number of players from one league, or enough players in one position group. The last one usually asks you to complete all the others. Each completed squad challenge is worth 5 points.
Squad challenges are the only chemistry that still counts a player who is out of position. Card chemistry and line averages do not.
Line leaders
Line leaders compare managers directly. For each line (defence including the goalkeeper, midfield and attack), the manager who owns the highest-rated card playing in its own position in that line earns 2 points. If two managers tie, both get the points. That makes one standout player in each line worth a little extra, and it's a reason to grab an elite card when one appears.
Why position comes first
A card placed in a position it is not rated for earns no card chemistry and counts as zero in its line average, while still taking up a place in that line. A single misplaced card can cost more than every chemistry link in your squad is worth. Always fill each slot with a player who can play there, and treat chemistry as the tie-breaker between suitable options.
Abilities that change chemistry
- Captain doubles the chemistry of one card. Choose your card that has met the most challenges.
- Red Card cancels the chemistry of an opponent's card. That card's rating still counts in their line average, so aim it at a card that has met all three of its challenges.
- Yellow Card takes 20 points from the targeted opponent.
The strategy guide covers when to play each ability.
A worked example
Compare two squads after a draft:
| Squad A (ratings first) | Squad B (chemistry first) | |
|---|---|---|
| Line averages (DEF + MID + ATK) | 84 + 85 + 86 = 255 | 81 + 82 + 84 = 247 |
| Card chemistry | 4 easy = 8 | 8 easy, 4 medium, 1 hard = 38 |
| Squad challenges | 1 × 5 = 5 | 3 × 5 = 15 |
| Line leaders | 2 lines = 4 | 1 line = 2 |
| Total | 272 | 302 |
Squad B is three rating points weaker in every line and still wins by 30. That's the case for drafting with links in mind: small rating sacrifices are cheap, chemistry is not.
Drafting for chemistry
- Read the challenges, not just the rating. Before picking, check the club, nation and league on each card, and tap it to see its three challenges.
- Anchor early. Your first strong pick gives you a club, a nation and a league to build around. Prefer later picks that share one of them.
- League links are the easiest. Players from the same league are the most common link in the pool, so a league-heavy squad completes challenges reliably.
- Club pairs are worth a small sacrifice. A second player from a club you already have can complete challenges on both cards at once.
- Use your bench. In the final lineup step, check whether swapping a bench player in completes a challenge you're one short of.
- Be careful with sealed picks. A hidden card can be brilliant or a poor fit. Use sealed rounds on positions where you have no chemistry plan yet.
The formations guide explains how each shape changes which links are easiest to build.
Try it in a Quick Match →Questions
What is chemistry in a football draft game?
Chemistry rewards squads whose players are linked, for example by club, nationality or league. In Hidden Eleven it adds bonus points on top of your line ratings.
Do out-of-position players earn chemistry?
No. A card in a position it is not rated for earns no card chemistry and counts as zero in its line average. It still counts toward squad challenges.
Can substitutions change my chemistry?
Yes. Chemistry is worked out from your final lineup, so swapping a bench player in during the final lineup step can complete a challenge you were one player short of.
Which abilities affect chemistry?
Captain doubles the chemistry of the card you choose, and Red Card cancels the chemistry of a targeted opponent's card, although that card's rating still counts.
Is a high-rated squad or a high-chemistry squad better?
Usually a balance. A few rating points per line are worth less than they look once chemistry bonuses are added, but a card in the wrong position costs you far more than chemistry gives back.