I built this to make the 2026 World Cup more fun for everyone, whether you watch every match or are just here for the vibes.
Pick your group standings, pick which 8 of 12 third-place teams advance, and the site builds your bracket automatically using FIFA's official rules. Then pick your winners all the way to the champion.
In the knockout rounds, points follow the team not the matchup. Pick a team to go deep and they go deep via a different path? You still get full credit.
Everything you need is inside. Good luck.
New: Live Leaderboard ⚡
The leaderboard now shows a live projected score updating every 3 minutes. It gives you a real-time sense of where you stand based on current group standings, but only reflects group position points for now. Additional points for advancement, perfect group bonuses, third place qualifiers, and bracket picks will be added once groups are officially finalized.
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⚽ Matches
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🏆 The Official Bracket
This is the real tournament bracket, generated from official group results and confirmed third-place qualifiers. Green means that team has been confirmed to win that match. Red means they've been eliminated from that spot.
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📊 Live Group Standings LIVE
This table updates automatically every 3 minutes based on live match data. It may be slightly delayed. Official leaderboard scores are calculated after each group stage is finalized.
Color key: Bold green = group is fully finalized and this team is confirmed through to the knockout rounds. Green = currently sitting in an advancing position based on live results so far, but the group is not finalized yet, so this can still change. Gold = currently sitting in 3rd place based on live results, in the mix for one of the 8 third-place qualifying spots, not yet confirmed either way. Red = mathematically eliminated, no longer able to reach the knockout rounds.
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📅 Key Dates
Picks LockJune 11, 2026 at Kickoff
Opening MatchMexico vs South Africa
Group Stage EndsJune 27, 2026
World Cup FinalJuly 19, 2026 at MetLife Stadium, NJ
💰 Prizes
🥇
$870
1st Place
🥈
$250
2nd Place
🥉
$120
3rd Place
Tied players combine their prize shares and split equally. Entry is $20 via Venmo to @andrew-alpert.
👥 Who Has Entered
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🔒 Picks are locked. The tournament has started!
1. Groups
2. 3rd Place
3. Bracket
My Picks
Rank all 12 groups. Picks lock June 11.
🏁 Group Stage 12 GROUPS
How does group scoring work? ▼
Exact 1st place8 pts
Exact 2nd place6 pts
Exact 3rd place4 pts
Exact 4th place2 pts
Advances, wrong position2 pts
Perfect group bonus+5 pts
Correct third place qualifier1 pt
Round of 324 pts
Round of 168 pts
Quarterfinals16 pts
Semifinals28 pts
Champion55 pts
Third Place Qualifiers
Pick 8 of 12 third-place teams to advance.
🥉 Best Third-Place Teams PICK 8
In 2026, only 8 of the 12 third-place teams advance to the knockout round. FIFA ranks them by points, then goal difference, then goals scored. Pick the 8 you think make it through.
Once you pick your 8, the site will automatically generate your personal bracket using the official FIFA bracket rules.
Selected: 0 / 8
Your Bracket
Pick a winner for each matchup. Winners advance automatically.
This is the real bracket, if your picks are right.
Your bracket was generated directly from the official FIFA World Cup 26 regulations (Article 12.6 and Annex C). It shows the exact real-world knockout matchups that would occur if your group stage predictions are correct. This is not a guess. It is the deterministic output of FIFA's published rules applied to your picks.
Pick a winner for every matchup from R32 all the way to the Champion to complete your entry.
Points follow the team, not the matchup.
If you pick England to beat Morocco in R32 but England actually beats Norway instead, you still get full points for England advancing. What matters is whether your picked team reaches that round, not who they beat to get there.
⚠️ Heads up: If you go back and change your group stage picks or your 8 third-place qualifiers, your bracket will be regenerated and your bracket picks will reset. Make sure your group and third place picks are final before filling out the bracket.
Round of 32 4 pts per team advancing
Round of 16 8 pts per team advancing
Quarterfinals 16 pts per team advancing
Semifinals 28 pts per team advancing
🏆 Champion 55 pts
⚽
PICKS SUBMITTED
You are in!
Your picks are saved. You can edit them until June 11.
One Last Step
Venmo $20 to secure your spot
@andrew-alpert
Include your username in the Venmo note so we can confirm your entry.
Found a bug or need help? Text Andrew at 781-626-3131
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Saving...
Leaderboard
Click any name to see their full picks. Updates as results come in.
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Scoring System
Points follow the team, not the bracket slot.
🏁 Group Stage
Correct 1st place8 pts
Correct 2nd place6 pts
Correct 3rd place4 pts
Correct 4th place2 pts
Team advances, wrong position2 pts
Perfect group bonus+5 pts
Each correct third place qualifier1 pt
Position points and advancement points are mutually exclusive. You get whichever is higher, not both. Third place qualifier points are separate and stack on top of everything else.
🏆 Knockout Rounds
Team wins Round of 32 (advances to R16)4 pts
Team wins Round of 16 (advances to QF)8 pts
Team wins Quarterfinal (advances to SF)16 pts
Team wins Semifinal (advances to Final)28 pts
Correct Champion55 pts
Points stack as your team advances. If you pick England to reach the semis and they do, you earn R32 + R16 + QF + SF points for England. Points follow the team, not who they beat along the way.
🥉 How Third Place Qualifying Works
After the group stage there are 12 third-place teams, one from each group. Only 8 of them advance to the knockout round. This is not a draw or a seeding -- it is purely math. FIFA ranks all 12 third-place teams by the following criteria in order:
1.Most points earned in the group stage
2.Best goal difference
3.Most goals scored
4.Fair play score (yellow and red cards)
5.FIFA world ranking
The 8 teams with the best records advance. Which group winner each third-place team faces in the Round of 32 is pre-determined by FIFA in a table called Annex C. FIFA published all 495 possible combinations before the tournament so the moment the group stage ends, the full bracket is known automatically with no additional draw needed.
That is what makes this pick interesting. You are predicting which 8 third-place teams advance, and your bracket generates automatically from your picks using the exact same FIFA rules.
For the full details see Article 13 of the official FIFA World Cup 26 regulations, which covers tiebreaking criteria for third-place teams.
Each correctly identified qualifying third-place team+1 pt
💡 Example: Meet Sonny
Sonny makes these picks for South Korea:
Finishes 2nd in Group A
Advances through R32, R16, and reaches the Quarterfinals
What actually happens: South Korea finishes 3rd in Group A but still qualifies as one of the 8 best third-place teams. They win their R32 match, win again in R16, win their Quarterfinal, then lose in the Semifinal.
Sonny's score for South Korea:
Group position (wrong, but team advanced)2 pts
Wins Round of 324 pts
Wins Round of 168 pts
Wins Quarterfinal16 pts
Total for South Korea30 pts
Sonny got the position wrong but still got full credit for every round South Korea actually won. That is what makes this pool different from a standard bracket.
📋 How Your Bracket Is Generated
This is the part of the pool that makes it unique. Your bracket is not a random draw. It is generated directly from the official FIFA World Cup 26 regulations.
Article 12.6: fixes all 16 Round of 32 matchups based on group finishing positions. Group winners face third-place teams. Group runners-up face other runners-up. Teams from the same group cannot meet in R32.
Annex C: a pre-published table of all 495 possible combinations of which 8 of 12 third-place teams qualify, and exactly which group winner each faces. FIFA published this before the tournament so there is no ambiguity once the group stage ends.
When you pick your group standings and your 8 third-place qualifiers, the site applies these exact FIFA rules to generate your personal bracket. If your group picks come true in real life, your bracket IS the actual tournament bracket.
⚠️ Important: If you change your group stage picks or your 8 third-place qualifiers after filling out your bracket, your bracket will be regenerated and your bracket picks will reset. Lock in your group picks before completing the bracket.
💰 Prize Payouts
🥇
$870
1st Place
🥈
$250
2nd Place
🥉
$120
3rd Place
Ties: Tied players combine their prize shares and split equally. Two people tied for 1st split the combined 1st and 2nd prize (90%) evenly, and 3rd gets 10% as normal. Three or more tied for 1st split the entire pot equally. Ties at 3rd split that 10% however many ways needed.
Admin Panel
Commissioner access only.
Admin Panel
Enter results, manage entries, update settings.
👀 Admin Leaderboard Preview
View the real leaderboard with current scores, even while it's in maintenance mode for everyone else. Only visible here in admin.
📋 Entries
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🏁 Group Stage Results
Enter actual final group standings. Leave blank if not played yet.
🏆 Knockout Results
Select teams that WON each round (advanced to the next one), not just teams that reached or qualified for it. For example, check a team under "Won Round of 32" only after they win their R32 match.
🥉 Confirmed Third Place Qualifiers
Check off any third-place team that has been mathematically confirmed to advance, even before all 12 groups are finished. Leave unchecked if not yet certain.
Only check this once you are certain the complete top-8 third-place ranking is locked in. This determines whether unchecked third-place picks show as pending (grey) or eliminated (muted green/red).
❌ Confirmed Eliminated Teams
Check off any team that has been mathematically eliminated, even before their group is fully finished. These show red on the homepage live standings table.
🔢 Reset a User PIN
📢 Homepage Notice
This message appears at the top of the homepage for everyone. Use it to list who still needs to pay, share updates, or leave it blank to hide it.