Rules & how to play
Predict the 2026 FIFA World Cup in two phases — the group stage, then the knockout bracket — and compete with your friends inside a private pool. Here's exactly how scoring works and how to lock your picks.
The short version
- • 48 points for the group stage + 90 for the knockout bracket = 138 max.
- • The two pools are independent — a bad group stage doesn't sink your bracket.
- • Your picks are private to your pool until that phase locks.
- • Always tap Save. Unsaved changes don't count, and you can't edit once a phase locks.
1. Group stage — max 48 pts
There are 12 groups (A–L) of 4 teams. For each group, rank all four teams from 1st to 4th. You earn 1 point for every team you place in its exact final position.
- Best case per group: 4/4 correct = 4 pts (12 groups × 4 = 48).
- A per-group score is always 0, 1, 2, or 4 — never 3: if you get three teams in their exact spots, the fourth is forced, so it's right too.
2. Knockout bracket — max 90 pts
The bracket opens once the real group stage finishes and the actual Round of 32 is set. You pick a winner in every match, all the way to the champion. Scoring is independent per round: a pick scores if that team actually reaches that round — no matter how it got there.
| Round | Per correct pick | Round max |
|---|---|---|
| Round of 32 → 16 | 2 | 32 |
| Round of 16 → QF | 3 | 24 |
| Quarter-final → SF | 4 | 16 |
| Semi-final → Final | 5 | 10 |
| Champion | 8 | 8 |
The champion bonus stacks: nailing the winner is worth 8, plus the 5 for putting them in the final = 13 pts for the right champion.
3. Final scoreline & tiebreaker
Along with the bracket you predict the final's scoreline — winner's goals and loser's goals as plain numbers (independent of who actually wins). The score that counts is the one at the end of extra time; penalty shootouts don't count. It doesn't earn points directly — it breaks ties:
- Most total points wins.
- Then an exact scoreline prediction beats a non-exact one.
- Then the smallest combined goal error — |your winner − actual| + |your loser − actual|.
- Still level? Players share the rank.
4. Your total
Group (max 48) + knockout (max 90) = 138 max. The leaderboard has three tabs — Combined, Group, and Knockout. If you join after the group stage has locked you can still play the knockout (max 90); your group score stays 0.
5. Making & locking your picks
- Group picks are open immediately. Edit them as often as you like until they lock.
- Knockout picks become available once the real Round of 32 is set (after the group stage finishes). Fill the whole bracket plus the final scoreline, then save.
- A phase locks at its deadline orthe moment its real results start being entered — whichever comes first. Once locked, that phase is read-only for everyone, and as results come in you'll see ✓ (correct) and ✗ (wrong) on your picks.
- So don't wait until the last minute — get your picks in (and saved) before kickoff.
6. Key dates (2026)
| Group stage | Jun 11 – Jun 27 |
| Round of 32 | Jun 28 – Jul 3 |
| Round of 16 | Jul 4 – 7 |
| Quarter-finals | Jul 9 – 11 |
| Semi-finals | Jul 14 – 15 |
| Final | Jul 19 (MetLife Stadium) |
Lock times are set by your pool organizer and are shown as a live countdown on the picks pages.
7. Pools & privacy
- Join a pool with its invite link or code. You can be in more than one pool, with separate picks in each.
- Sign-in is by magic link — no passwords. Tap the link in your email to log in.
- Everyone's picks stay hidden from other members until a phase locks, so no one can copy.
- The real tournament results are entered once, centrally, and every pool is scored against them.