How Scoring Works
Know what every pick is worth โ and where the big points hide.
Classic Bracket
Rank teams in each group, choose third-place qualifiers, then pick knockout winners. Forgiving knockout scoring โ if your team reaches the round, you get credit, even if they took a different bracket path than you predicted.
Fanatic Bracket
Predict the score of every group-stage match. Standings are computed from your picks. Knockout rounds include exact-score bonuses.
Group Stage
Classic โ Group Standings
| Position | Points |
|---|---|
| Correct 1st place | 8 pts |
| Correct 2nd place | 6 pts |
| Correct 3rd place | 4 pts |
| Correct 4th place | 2 pts |
| Perfect Group bonus | +10 pts |
All 4 positions must be correct to earn the bonus.
Live projected points: once the tournament starts, Classic shows a projected group score from the current standings โ as if the table held. It updates after every match and locks in for good once all six matches in a group are played.
Fanatic โ Per Match (72 matches)
| Prediction | Points |
|---|---|
| Correct W / D / L result | 4 pts |
| Close score (right result + right margin) | +2 pts |
| Exact score bonus | +3 pts |
Both bonuses require the result to be correct. Close = you also nailed the goal difference; exact = you nailed the scoreline. Exact takes precedence โ you earn one, not both. Example: predict 1โ0 and it ends 3โ2 โ both one-goal wins, so that's a close score (+2).
Fanatic โ Per Group Standings (12 groups)
| Position | Points |
|---|---|
| Correct 1st place | 10 pts |
| Correct 2nd place | 7 pts |
| Correct 3rd place | 4 pts |
| Correct 4th place | 2 pts |
| Perfect Group bonus | +15 pts |
3rd-Place Qualifiers
Eight of the twelve group third-place finishers advance to the Round of 32. You rank all 12 third-place teams before the tournament โ your top 8 are your qualifier picks.
| Prediction | Classic | Fanatic |
|---|---|---|
| Each correct qualifier | 3 pts | 4 pts |
| All 8 correct bonus | +25 pts | +35 pts |
Knockout Rounds
Classic awards points per team correctly predicted to reach a round โ the route through the bracket doesn't matter. Fanatic awards points per match winner correctly picked at the exact slot, plus an exact-score bonus.
Classic โ per team reaching the round
Route-agnosticIf your team is one of the teams that actually reach a round, you score for that round โ even if they got there via a different matchup than you predicted. Picking USA to reach the Round of 16 scores the same 5 points whether USA wins your predicted matchup or a totally different one.
| Round reached | Pts per team | Max for round |
|---|---|---|
| Round of 16 | 5 pts | 80 (16 ร 5) |
| Quarter-Final | 10 pts | 80 (8 ร 10) |
| Semi-Final | 20 pts | 80 (4 ร 20) |
| Final | 40 pts | 80 (2 ร 40) |
| 3rd Place Final winner | 10 pts | single match |
| Champion (Final winner) | 105 pts | one pick โ the whole prize |
The Bronze Final and the Champion are single fixed matches โ picking them requires the exact team to win the exact match.
Fanatic โ per match (exact pick)
Matchup-preciseEach knockout match is scored on its own: did you pick the right winner in the right slot, and did you also nail the score? Higher rewards for the precision.
| Round | Correct pick | + Exact score |
|---|---|---|
| Round of 32 | 6 pts | +8 pts |
| Round of 16 | 12 pts | +15 pts |
| Quarter-Final | 25 pts | +25 pts |
| Semi-Final | 50 pts | +40 pts |
| 3rd Place Final | 12 pts | +25 pts |
| Final (champion) | 175 pts | +60 pts |
Exact-score bonus requires the pick to be correct.
Bonuses
| Bonus | Classic | Fanatic | How to earn |
|---|---|---|---|
| Final Four | +30 pts | +40 pts | Classic: the 4 teams you predicted to reach the Semi-Finals all make it (set match โ bracket path doesn't matter). Fanatic: all 4 Quarter-Final match winners picked exactly. |
Biggest single pick in the game: calling the World Cup winner is one pick worth one number โ a flat 105 pts in Classic or 175 pts in Fanatic. Nothing extra to claim, no separate bonus. (Fanatic can also add +60 for nailing the exact Final score.)
Tiebreaker โ Final Score Prediction
Your predicted Final score is worth 0 points โ it exists only to break ties. If two players tie on total points, the one whose predicted Final score is closest to the actual result wins. Closeness is measured first by total goals, then by goal difference (lower delta wins in both cases). Still tied after that โ or neither of you submitted a prediction? You share the rank: the leaderboard shows you both as T-1, co-champions.
Example
You predict 2โ1 (3 goals total, +1 goal diff). Actual result: 3โ2 (5 goals total, +1 goal diff).
Your total-goals delta = |3 โ 5| = 2. Your goal-diff delta = |1 โ 1| = 0. A lower combined delta beats a higher one.
Where the Big Points Are
12ร
Perfect groups pay
Each perfect group adds 50โ65% on top of base position points. There are 12 groups โ compounding rewards for careful research.
175 pts
Back your champion early
Correctly predicting the Final winner is the biggest single reward โ 105 pts Classic, 175 pts Fanatic. Pick boldly.
+35 pts
Nail the thirds
Getting all 8 third-place qualifiers right earns a 25 (Classic) or 35 (Fanatic) bonus. A great way to separate from a crowded leaderboard.
Ready to put the scoring to work?