There are some fantastic prizes on offer in the Sorare Global Cup competition, but with a huge field they are very top heavy. So, when we’re building a line-up we need to maximise our chances of hitting a big score from all 5 players. As i mentioned in my Roster Building Strategy article, the key to this will be stacking players from the same nation.

By stacking players, we can increase the chances that one major event can impact multiple players at the same time. For instance, Kylian Mbappe is one of the favourites to win the Golden Boot, if he does someone(s) on the French team will have to provide him with assists. So if you believe in Mbappe, maybe you want to stack him with Griezmann or Camavinga who could provide multiple assists.

I’ve tried to pick some less popular stacks amongst my favourites, that might give you an edge over the field. But, this is by no means an exhaustive list of options and there are definitely some top options I haven’t discussed in detail.

Before we get to my favourite stacks, if you haven’t signed up to Sorare and fancy giving it a go, sign up via this referral link to earn a free limited card.

Defensive Stacks

Defensive stacks include a Goalkeeper and a Defender from the same side (unsurprisingly). If our keeper keeps a clean sheet then his defenders will earn the +10 point clean sheet score, putting them well on the way to a good score before they do anything else. With that in mind, we should be targeting nations with the best chances of multiple clean sheets.

France

France have a very manageable group that could see them make it to the knockout rounds without conceding a goal. They also have perhaps the easiest path to the Semi-Finals on paper with a potential quarter final against a low-scoring England side. This makes Hugo Lloris a very promising option between the sticks.

Who to pair him with is a bit trickier, Raphael Varane is a lock to start at centre-back but after him it’s all a bit murkier. With Kimpembe out injured there is an opportunity for William Saliba or Dayot Upamecano to partner Varane. Lucas Hernandez appears to be favoured over his brother as the starting left-back. At right-back, his Bayern teammate Benjamin Pavard looks to likely to start.

I would lean towards partnering Lloris with one of the full-backs over the centre backs. They add a little more potential for decisive actions with crosses in to Benzema and Mbappe.

England

England under Gareth Southgate have been low scoring, but mostly solid at the back. They have a nice group with Iran, Wales and the USA and project to have a reasonable Round of 16 fixture if they can win their group. Jordan Pickford will start in goal for the Three Lions, and whilst he may be up and down for Everton for England he brings his A-game.

A slew of injuries at right back and the drop in form of Trent Alexander-Arnold has opened the door for Kieran Trippier to start for England. Trippier has been phenomenal for Newcastle since joining from Atletico Madrid in January. He has a fantastic set-piece on him and scores fantastically on the Sorare matrix – no other England defender comes close.

Netherlands

The Netherlands find themselves in perhaps the easiest group of all playing against the hosts, Qatar, Senegal and Ecuador. The big questions is who will start in goal for the Oranje between Justin Bijlow, Andries Noppert and Remko Pasveer. If you can pick the right keeper, you’ll have yourself a bargain with all three costing just 8 of the 100 point budget.

There is also some murkiness in the defence with popular choice, Denzel Dumfries, suffering a knee injury in his last game for Inter before the World Cup. If there is no clarity before the games start pivoting to Nathan Ake or Jurrien Timber may be the better option.

Belgium

The final defensive stack of the article is Belgium who face Morocco, Canada and Croatia in Group F. Although their defence is mostly the old guard who came third in Russia 2018, they still have a world class goalkeeper in Thibaut Courtois.

In defence I like a gamble on Thomas Meunier who plays as a wingback in Roberto Martinez’ 3-4-3 system. Meunier has been out for the last month with a fractured cheek bone, but he looks set to return for Belgium and would be a great value pick at just 8 points.

Other Defensive Stacks to Consider

• Brazil
• Argentina
• Portugal

Offensive Stacks

Offensive stacks have a bit more flexibility than their defensive counterparts. Like in the Mbappe example above we are looking for a player that will get plenty of good opportunities to score and someone who may create those opportunities.

Typically our potential goal-scorer will be a forward, although in some rare cases it could be a midfielder. Our creator could come from anywhere on the pitch, perhaps a marauding fullback, a midfield maestro or strike partner. Players who take set-pieces are of particular interest with the added assist and goalscoring potential.

Brazil

Brazil are the bookies favourites to win the World Cup, largely on the back of their wealth of attacking talent. Neymar looks to lead Brazil to a first World Cup in 20 years and is the obvious first choice. There may be some banana skins in selecting who plays alongside him. Vinicius Jr. is an obvious option on the wing, but whether Richarlison or Gabriel Jesus lead the line is up for debate.

In the midfield Casemiro provides a reliable all-around game in the Sorare scoring matrix, but may lack the ability to spike the monster scores we will need to earn big prizes. West Ham’s new signing, Lucas Paqueta, may be the better option – he should start alongside Casemiro and has the creativity and goalscoring ability to be a threat for a big score.

Argentina

With the GOAT, Lionel Messi playing perhaps his final World Cup, Argentina are another favourite to win the World Cup. Messi is among the favourites to take home the Golden Boot from Qatar and will likely have a lock on set-pieces. He will certainly be a popular selection in the competition.

Who to partner him with is where we can differentiate ourselves. Lautaro Martinez is likely to lead the line for Argentina and has been in good form Inter this season. Angel Di Maria is also likely to play a lot in advanced positions and has a midfielder card in the Global Cup. A more contrarian option, could be fullback Nicolas Tagliafico who may be able to create some good chances and benefit from a strong defence.

Portugal

Messi’s longtime rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, is almost certainly in his final World Cup and it wouldn’t be surprising if he put on a performance fitting of his illustrious career. Given his recent lack of playing time for Man United he may not be the most popular selection in the draft.

Man City’s star full back Joao Cancelo, however, is likely to be a popular choice. Cancelo is one of the best scoring defenders on the Sorare matrix with an absurd last 40 score of 67. Cancelo’s Man City teammate, Bernardo Silva, is another strong option who could register a number of decisive actions.

Uruguay

Finally, Uruguay are an interesting dark horse team to put up a few goals and as such come at a slightly reduced price. They play alongside Portugal in Group H where they also face Ghana and South Korea. Uruguay are another team with legends in the twilight of their career in Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, although Cavani is more likely to be a substitute.

Perhaps the most exciting forward on the team is Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez who’s combination of size and speed is a handful for any defender. I would look to pair him with Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde. The midfielder has been in fantastic form this season, scoring a fantastic 8 goals in 20 appearances.

Other Offensive Stacks to Consider

• France
• Netherlands
• Germany

Thanks for reading, and best of luck in the Global Cup! I’d love to hear what Nations you’re stacking and your thoughts on the Global Cup competition in general – get in touch using the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @ThinkingFantasy