Frequently asked questions

What is the World Cup, in a nutshell?

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the men's national-team world championship, hosted across the USA, Canada, and Mexico. For the first time it features 48 teams. It runs in two phases: a group stage, then a single-elimination knockout stage that crowns the champion.

How does the group stage work, and who advances?

The 48 teams are split into 12 groups of 4. Every team plays the other three in its group once. Results earn points:

• Win — 3 points
• Draw — 1 point
• Loss — 0 points

Teams are ranked within each group by points (then goal difference, goals scored, and further tiebreakers). The top 2 of every group advance — that's 24 teams — plus the 8 best third-place teams across all groups, for a total of 32 teams in the knockout stage (the Round of 32).

How does the knockout stage work?

The 32 qualifiers play single-elimination rounds — Round of 32 → Round of 16 → Quarterfinals → Semifinals → Final (plus a third-place match). Win and you advance; lose and you're out. If a knockout match is level after regulation (and extra time), it's decided by a penalty shootout.

What is a GoalBracket bracket?

A bracket is your full prediction of the tournament. You fill it in two parts:

• Group stage — order the four teams in each group (1st–4th) and choose which 8 third-place teams you think will advance.
• Knockout stage — pick the winner of every knockout match, all the way to the champion.

The two parts have separate deadlines: group picks lock when the group stage begins, while knockout picks stay editable until the knockout round begins — so once you see who actually advanced, you can finalize your knockout picks. You can create more than one bracket and edit each until its deadline.

What are pools, and what's the leaderboard?

Every bracket automatically joins the global leaderboard, where you're ranked against everyone. You can also create or join private pools to compete just with friends — share the pool's invite link and anyone can join, build a bracket, and appear on that pool's standings. Your rank is based on your bracket's total score (below).

How are predictions scored?

Points are awarded as the real results come in, and your bracket's total determines your place on the leaderboard:

• Group position exactly right — 3 points per team
• Right team advances, wrong exact spot — 1 point
• Correct third-place team that advances — 2 points each
• Round of 32 winner — 3 points
• Round of 16 winner — 5 points
• Quarterfinal winner — 8 points
• Semifinal winner — 12 points
• Third-place match winner — 8 points
• Final winner (champion) — 20 points
• Exact scoreline bonus — 5 points (when you nail the exact score of a match)

Later rounds are worth more, so calling the champion and deep runs matters most — but getting the group stage right builds an early lead.

What are match score predictions?

A quick side game, separate from your bracket. On every match page — or for all group-stage matches at once on the Match Predictor — you can predict the exact final score: one prediction per match, editable until kickoff, and you can see the fan average. When the match finishes, your prediction earns:

• Exact score — 3 points
• Correct goal difference (e.g. you said 2–1, it ended 3–2) — 2 points
• Correct outcome only (right winner or a draw) — 1 point

Your running total ranks you on the match score prediction section of the leaderboard, and your picks are listed on My Picks. These points are separate from bracket scoring.

What are badges?

Virtual awards for your predictions and brackets. They show up on My Picks and next to your name on the leaderboard. The current catalog:

• 🔮 Crystal Ball — nail an exact final score
• 🎯 Bull's-Eye — three exact scores
• 🎩 Hat Trick — three predictions in a row that score points
• 🎱 Eight Ball — eight predictions that score points
• ✋ Hand of God — call an upset (winner ranked 15+ FIFA places below the loser)
• 🦄 Most Unique Prediction — the only player to nail a match's exact score
• 🐦 Early Bird — an exact score predicted at least three days before kickoff
• 🥉🥈🥇 Bronze / Silver / Gold Medal — 10 / 25 / 50 prediction points
• 🧠 Group Guru — predict all six matches of one group, all scoring points
• 🎗️ On the Board — your bracket earns its first points
• 🏆 Group-Stage Crown — #1 on the global leaderboard when the group stage ends
• 👑 Champion — #1 after the final

Is GoalBracket gambling?

No. GoalBracket is a free prediction game. There are no entry fees, no wagers, no deposits, and no cash or prize payouts of any kind. You play for fun and bragging rights against the crowd and your friends. GoalBracket is not affiliated with FIFA or any betting service.

Ready to play? Create your bracket or see the leaderboard.