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Virti · FIFA World Cup 2026

Rules & Scoring

Points are awarded all tournament long — for your group standings, the teams you send through, the knockout bracket, the winner, the Golden Boot and the extras. Closest to the result takes the pot.

112
Group stage
176
Knockout
48
Extras
336
Max possible

Most points you could score if every single pick lands.

Group stage

Group standings

Drag each of the 12groups into the order you think they'll finish. The top 2 of every group qualify automatically; you then choose the 8 best third-placed teams to complete the 32 who reach the knockouts.

Correct place
Each team that finishes exactly where you placed it (1st–4th).
+1
Correct qualifying team
Each team you tip to go through that does — the top 2 of a group, or one of your best-third picks. Order doesn't matter.
+2

The two stack — a team in the exact slot that also qualifies earns both.

Worked example

You predict a group 1st · 2nd · 3rd · 4th. Here's how it scores:

Exactly right
1st
place +1 · qualifier +2
+3
2nd
place +1 · qualifier +2
+3
3rd
place +1
+1
4th
place +1
+1
Group total8 pts
1st & 2nd swapped
1st
qualifier +2 · place missed
+2
2nd
qualifier +2 · place missed
+2
3rd
place +1
+1
4th
place +1
+1
Group total6 pts

Both teams still qualified, so you keep the +2s — you only lose the place points. A best-third pick that goes through scores its +2 the same way, counted with your third-place selections.

Knockout stage

The bracket

Drag the teams you think will advance through each round. Every round is drawn from your previous round's survivors — your finalists have to come from your semi-finalists, and so on. You score for each team you correctly send to a round:

Round of 16
16 teams reach this round
+4
Quarter-finals
8 teams reach this round
+6
Semi-finals
4 teams reach this round
+8
Final
2 teams reach this round
+10
Winner
the tournament winner
+12

A deep run shows up in every round, so a champion you call from the start can score in all 5: 4 + 6 + 8 + 10 + 12 = 40 points from that one team.

Extras

Side bets

Predictions about the whole tournament (all 104 matches), not a single game. Top scorer is worth the most, the red-card call is next, and everything else is 4 points each.

Who will win the tournament's Golden Boot?
+10
Name a player you think will be shown a red card.
+6
Who will score more goals: Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo?
+4
Who will score more goals: Alexander Isak or Jude Bellingham?
+4
Will there be 12 or more own goals in the tournament?
+4
Will 35 or more penalties be awarded during the tournament, excluding penalty shootouts?
+4
Will there be 8 or more 0-0 draws?
+4
Will the tournament's fastest goal be scored in 51 seconds or less?
+4
Will any game have 18 or more minutes of second-half injury time, as announced by the fourth official?
+4
Will the Final go to extra time?
+4
total goals scored across the whole tournament, including extra time but excluding penalty shootouts?
Tie-breaker only — scores no points itself.
TB
The fine print
  • • Everything is judged from the official FIFA match reports — except second-half added time (the 18+ minutes question), which we can't track automatically, so give an admin a shout if you spot a game that hits it.
  • • Penalty shootouts don't count anywhere — not toward total goals, the Golden Boot, or the “penalties awarded” tally. A shootout settles a tie; its goals aren't tournament goals.
  • • Own goals count toward the own-goals tally, but never toward any player's Golden Boot.
  • • The Golden Boot goes to the official winner (FIFA's tie-breaks decide it if players are level).
  • • Bad Boy: any red card counts — a straight red or two bookings in a match.
Good to know

Ties & deadlines

Splitting a tie
Level on points? Whoever's total-goals guess (extra time in, shootouts out) is closest to the real number wins.
Predictions lock
Thursday 11 June at 20:00 (UK), before the opening game — no changes after that.