SCORING / RULES

Every prediction earns points. The more accurate, the bigger the haul. Here's the full battle-card — with worked examples — for climbing the leaderboard.

40per perfect group
545group stage ceiling
50Super 8 ceiling
90per knockout match
150awards ceiling
≈3,625theoretical max

1 Group Stage 12 groups × 4 teams

Rank the 4 teams in each group. We compare your standings to the real World Cup table when results are finalised.

📐 Per-position scoring (top 2 places)

OutcomePointsApplies when…
Exact position+5You put the right team in the right slot (1st or 2nd).
±1 position+2You're one slot off (e.g. predicted 2nd, finished 1st or 3rd).
Correct team, wrong order+3The team you picked is in the top 2 — just not where you put it.

🥉 3rd place & 4th place

OutcomePointsNotes
3rd place exact+5Critical because it feeds Super 8 (next section).
4th place exact+0No individual points, but counts toward the "perfect group" bonus.

🎁 Group bonuses (stacked on top)

BonusPointsTrigger
Winner bonus+51st place exact — pays on top of the position points.
Perfect group+20All 4 positions exact (1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th).
6 perfect groups+25Megastreak — applies once.
All 12 perfect+50Replaces (not stacks with) the 6-group bonus.
All top-2 correct+15Every advancing team identified across all 12 groups.
📘 Worked example — a perfect group
Predicted Group A: 🇧🇷 Brazil, 🇨🇲 Cameroon, 🇨🇦 Canada, 🇲🇽 Mexico (1st → 4th).
Actual finish matches exactly.
1st exact (Brazil)+5
2nd exact (Cameroon)+5
3rd exact (Canada)+5
4th exact (Mexico — feeds the perfect bonus)+0
Winner bonus+5
Perfect group bonus+20
Total for this group40 pts
💡 Heads up — when the mega-bonuses unlock: The +25 / +50 / +15 bonuses only count once all 12 groups have official results entered by the admin. If you see fewer points than expected, the tournament probably isn't fully scored yet.

2 Super 8 Best 3rd-placed teams

Out of the 12 third-placed teams across the groups, FIFA promotes 8 to the Round of 32. Click to select the 8 you think will advance.

OutcomePointsNotes
Each correct pick+5Per advancing team you nailed.
All 8 correct+10Sweep bonus.
Max Super 8 total50(5 × 8) + 10

3 Knockout Matches R32 → Final + 3rd-place playoff

Six prediction layers per match. Each layer is independent — you can earn points from the scoreline AND the first scorer AND the possession in the same game.

⚽ Layer 1: Scoreline (max 30, mutually exclusive)

OutcomePointsExample
Exact score+30Predicted 2-1, actual 2-1.
Goal difference+10Predicted 3-1 (+2), actual 2-0 (+2). Same margin.
Total goals+5Predicted 2-2 (4 goals), actual 3-1 (4 goals).

Only the highest tier applies — you don't get exact AND goal-diff AND total. The strongest match wins.

🥇 Layer 2: Winner (max 20)

OutcomePointsNotes
Correct winner+10You called the team that advances.
Penalty winner+10For full-time draws — pick who wins the shootout.

⚡ Layer 3: First scorer (max 15)

OutcomePointsNotes
Right team scores first+10You picked the team that opened the scoring.
"No goal" call+15You said the match would end 0-0 at full time — and it did.

⏱ Layer 4: First goal minute (max 20)

OutcomePoints
Exact minute+20
Within ±2 minutes+15
Within ±5 minutes+10
Within ±10 minutes+5

📊 Layer 5: Possession % (home team) (max 20)

OutcomePoints
Exact %+20
Within ±3%+15
Within ±5%+10
Within ±8%+5
📘 Worked example — a peak knockout match (no pens)
Predicted: 🇫🇷 France 2 – 1 🇧🇷 Brazil · First scorer: France · First goal: 23' · Possession (home): 55%.
Actual: France 2-1 Brazil, France scored first at 23', possession 55%.
Exact score+30
Correct winner+10
Right first scorer+10
Exact first goal minute+20
Exact possession %+20
Total for this match90 pts
Pens add +10 when the match goes to a shootout, capping a single match at 100.

4 Tournament Awards 4 categories

Pick the World Cup Winner, Runner-up, Golden Boot (top scorer) and Golden Glove (best goalkeeper). Locked once the admin's awards deadline passes.

OutcomePointsNotes
Each correct award+25Per category you nailed.
Champion bonus+50Extra reward when your WC Winner pick is right.
Max awards total1504 × 25 + champion bonus.

5 Prediction Windows & Locks

🔒 Per-match lockDefaults to 30 minutes before kickoff. The admin can override this on individual fixtures.
📋 Group lockEach group has its own deadline (typically the start of the final group-stage match). Edit your ranking freely until then.
🏆 Awards lockSingle deadline set by the admin for all 4 award predictions.
🌍 TimezoneAll deadlines stored & displayed in UTC. The countdown clocks on every page show how much time remains in your local view.
✏️ UpdatesYou can change your predictions as often as you want — only the version at lock time is scored.

? FAQ

My points are lower than I expected — what went wrong?

The most common cause: the admin hasn't entered every official result yet. Mega-bonuses like the +50 "all 12 perfect" or +15 "all top-2 correct" only trigger after every single group has actuals filled in. Knockout matches must be marked as final by the admin before their points are awarded. Visit your dashboard for a live breakdown of where every point came from.

Why does a perfect group only give 40 points and not 5+5+5+5+20 = 40?

Only the top 2 positions use the +5 "exact position" rate. 3rd place uses a flat +5 bonus (because it's a Super 8 feeder, not a "winner"), and 4th doesn't earn individual points — it only counts toward the perfect-group flag. The numbers were tuned so that the actual football outcome matters most: the +5 winner bonus + +20 perfect bonus reward precision without over-rewarding the cosmetic 4th spot.

Can I get scoreline + goal-diff + total points all in the same match?

No — the scoreline tier is mutually exclusive: only the strongest match (exact > goal-diff > total) applies. Other layers (winner, first scorer, minute, possession, pens) are all independent and stack normally.

What happens to a knockout match that goes to penalties?

The scoreline scoring uses the 90-minute / full-time score (which will be a draw). The winner bonus pays out for the side that advances on pens. The penalty-winner bonus (+10) only counts if (a) the match was a draw at full time and (b) you actually selected a penalty winner in your prediction.

Are group-stage matches scored individually?

No. Group-stage results are only used to determine final group standings (1st → 4th) — those standings are what get scored against your ranking prediction. Knockout matches are scored individually with all 6 layers.

What's the theoretical maximum score?

Roughly 3,625 points if every group is perfect, every Super 8 pick correct, every knockout match peak-scored with no draws, and all 4 awards correctly picked. Real-world max is lower because draws/pens cap matches at 100.