Overview
- Focused on soccer and offering contests on a wide number of competitions, including the Premier League and Champions League
- A unique scoring system and huge range of features thanks to statistical link-up with Opta
- Money Back Guarantee for first-time players but a lack of other enticing bonuses
Based in the Isle of Man, Mondogoal is rapidly becoming known as one of the leading sites in the world when it comes to fantasy soccer. Traditional competitions which last a whole season remain popular, but Mondogoal is carving out a successful niche by offering daily or weekly contests, giving players the opportunity to pick new teams regularly and aim for big prizes every day.
Covering the Premier League and Championship in England, as well as a host of top European competitions and others from around the world, Mondogoal really does try to deliver everything that a fantasy soccer fan could wish for, with the same finesse expected of the American heavyweights.
Mondogoal Sports
With a sole focus on soccer, Mondogoal’s offering might put off some people but will delight fans of the world’s biggest sport as there are so many different leagues to choose from. Followers of English soccer can play games centred around the Premier League, Championship, League Cup and FA Cup, while there is also the Italian Serie A, Spanish La Liga and Ligue 1 in France.
The Champions League, Europa League, European Championship and men’s and women’s World Cups are also catered for, along with the top domestic divisions in Brazil, Mexico and the USA.
There are also special global contests, where players from multiple leagues around the world can be picked in the same team. These usually take place on days when there are fewer matches happening, so it might be that you are putting together players from a game in France, one in Spain and another in the Championship.
Mondogoal Contests
Mondogoal runs a variety of different contests, so you just need to decide which league you want to concentrate on and then work out which option is best for you. You can filter out games by entry fee, prize payout, duration of the contest or number of players to go up against, while there are contests where you just have to finish in the top half to land a share of the money.
It is possible to challenge a friend to a head-to-head or, if you prefer, just play in one of the many freerolls available to have some fun and come up with successful strategies. However, one drawback is that you cannot filter by type of contest as you can on lots of other fantasy sports sites.
How Mondogoal Works
After deciding on the contest you want to enter, your next task is to select a team. Just by clicking on the contest in the lobby you will be able to see the key bullet points of how many matches are available, how many entries each user is permitted and when entries close.
When it comes to selecting your team, you will typically have to pick players from at least three different clubs and will only be allowed a maximum of four per side, selecting a goalkeeper, defenders, midfielders and forwards. There is a salary cap of £100 million and the players available will be listed, each with their own price. The player’s salary can change from one contest to the next depending on their current form and popularity.
You can decide between a number of different formations, either 3-4-3, 3-5-2, 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 4-5-1, as you attempt to craft the perfect team, giving you lots of scope to devise a winning strategy and get rewards for your knowledge. The scoring system will also appeal to connoisseurs of fantasy soccer, as it awards points based on a player’s position and includes far more than the usual goal, assist, clean sheet and so on. For example, all players score points for each completed pass and lose points for committing a foul, while a defender will benefit for intercepting a pass.
When selecting your team, you can filter players by salary, position or team, and edit your side until just a few minutes before the contest begins. Once an event starts, there is no option for a late swap as on certain other sites, but you will be able to see the teams selected by your opponent(s) and track your progress in real time.
Layout/Design
The home page is nicely laid out with all the key information presented in an easily digestible way and complemented by a helpful video. The green background at the top of the page is pleasant enough, even if it may not be to everyone’s taste, and the site continues to look slick the deeper into it you delve.
Navigation from section to section is straightforward and, when picking your team, there is a nice graphic of a football pitch with all your players lined up in the appropriate formation, represented by the shirt of their club.
Features
Mondogoal really stands out against the competition in terms of the features it offers to enhance the user experience. A big reason for this is that it has access to a wealth of statistics thanks to a link-up with Opta, the market leader in data-driven sports analysis.
The dashboard shows the top players in each position and has handy hints and tips in Julian’s Corner. There are some extremely useful links off to sites which list injured players and the latest team news. The amount of information available to help in some of the contests is quite extraordinary, as it is possible to click on a player’s name and bring up detailed reports on how they have performed in every match for the last few months.
You can check how your team is performing throughout a contest and then look back at past events to see where your players have picked up points.
Mobile
Mondogoal’s polished mobile site works well and is just as easy to use as the desktop version, allowing you to play on the move. There is no mobile app at present but one is expected to be launched imminently as Mondogoal continues to grow rapidly in its first few years of existence.
Mondogoal Promotions and Bonuses
Mondogoal is so confident in the service it provides that there is a 100% money back guarantee. This is available for players on their first paid entry only and has a maximum value of $50, while there is no refund for winning entries and the request must be within three days of the contest being completed. Your account will then be closed once your request has been fulfilled.
There is a 200 percent bonus on your first deposit, released at a rate of 4 percent of the league buy-in. For example, entering a £50 contest would result in £2 being added to your cash account. Disappointingly, there are no other real promotions or bonuses on offer at Mondogoal for loyal players or referring others.
Conclusion
There are a few downsides to the Mondogoal site, which does not allow the use of Paypal and could do with some sort of referral scheme to reward loyal players who recruit their friends, but for soccer fans it has a wonderful amount of options. It is possible to take part in contests for all the top competitions, the unique scoring system is a joy and there are a raft of quite stunning features to help you select your team. The site looks good and it is no surprise it was shortlisted for Digital Platform of the Year 2015 at the BT Sport Industry Awards. As fantasy sports betting continues to boom, Mondogoal is a clear front-runner in the fantasy soccer market.
Score – 8 out of 10
- Deposit Methods: You can add funds in either pounds or US dollars with a gift card or by using credit card or Skrill. Mondogoal does not accept deposits via PayPal.
- Withdrawal Methods: It can take up to five days for a request for withdrawal to be processed at Mondogoal.
- Legality: Only players from the UK and the Isle of Man, Ireland, USA, Canada and Brazil can play for money. However, players from the Canadian province of Quebec or the US states of Arizona, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana and Washington State cannot play for real money on Mondogoal.
- Email: support@mondogoal.com
Live support is also available. - Registered Address: Mondogoal Trading Ltd, First Floor, 14 Athol Street, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 1JA
- Licensing: Mondogoal is regulated by the isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission, with a license issued in June 2014. The site is also regulated by the UK Gambling Commission, using the reference number 39117. Mondogoal is regarded as a game of skill in the USA and as such does not require a US gambling license.