FIFA World Cup
Pool Rules
Introduction
I actually adapted the format of my NHL playoff pool from somebody else's
FIFA World Cup pool format, and when they stopped running theirs after 2006,
I began doing it myself. The format is relatively simple, and involves
ranking all 48 countries in the World Cup, from the team you think will win
the most games to the team you think will win the fewest.
Please use the Entry Form to submit
your entry. If you prefer though, you can still email/text/DM your entry to
Trevor Ball. Likewise, any questions or comments should be directed to Trevor
Ball.
Entries are due by an hour before the opening
kickoff, which works out to be 2pm Eastern time, Thursday June 11, 2026.
Scoring
The basic scoring system is that for each game each team wins in
the group stage, you get (49-n)*3 points, where n is the ranking you gave
that team. For each draw, you get 49-n points. After the group stage, the
multiplier for each win increases, to 5 (i.e. (33-n)*5) for wins in the round
of 32, and doubles thereafter (i.e. 10 for round-of-16 wins, 20 for
quarter-final wins, 40 for semi-final wins, and 80 for the World Cup final).
No points are awarded for the consolation final (match #103 on the schedule)
although it does factor into the tie-breaker (see below).
Strategy
The strategy is ultimately up to you, but here are some basic
tips. Presumably you would want your predicted Cup winner ranked first, since
the stage 2 wins count for so much more than group stage wins. You probably
then want to have the other team you think will be in the final, followed by
the semi-finalists and quarter-finalists. You’re welcome to use any strategy
you want, however, and I will not be checking entries except to ensure that
every team is ranked once and only once. For example, perhaps you want to
hedge your bets, figuring that you’re not sure who will advance from group G,
but figure that whoever does will end up meeting in the final, so you may
want to rank three group G teams up at the top; it's up to you.
2026 Groups
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Group A
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Group B
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Group C
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Group D
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MEX-Mexico
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CAN-Canada
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BRA-Brazil
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USA-United States
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RSA-South Africa
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BIH-Bosnia-Herzegovina
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MAR-Morocco
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PAR-Paraguay
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KOR-South Korea
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QAT-Qatar
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HAI-Haiti
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AUS-Australia
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CZE-Czechia
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SUI-Switzerland
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SCO-Scotland
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TUR-Turkiye
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Group
E
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Group
F
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Group
G
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Group
H
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GER-Germany
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NED-Netherlands
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BEL-Belgium
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ESP-Spain
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CUW-Curacao
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JPN-Japan
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EGY-Egypt
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CPV-Cabo Verde
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CIV-Ivory Coast
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SWE-Sweden
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IRN-Iran
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KSA-Saudi Arabia
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ECU-Ecuador
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TUN-Tunisia
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NZL-New Zealand
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URU-Uruguay
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Group
I
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Group
J
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Group
K
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Group
L
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FRA-France
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ARG-Argentina
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POR-Portugal
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ENG-England
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SEN-Senegal
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ALG-Algeria
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COD-Congo DR
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CRO-Croatia
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IRQ-Iraq
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AUT-Austria
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UZB-Uzbekistan
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GHA-Ghana
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NOR-Norway
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JOR-Jordan
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COL-Colombia
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PAN-Panama
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Sample Entry
1.Spain
2.Netherlands
3.Morocco
4.Argentina
5.England
6.Sweden
7.Brazil
8.France
9.Portugal
10.Mexico
11.Scotland
12.Norway
13.Canada
14.Germany
15.United States
16.Belgium
17.Tunisia
18.Congo DR
19.Uruguay
20.Senegal
21.Japan
22.Croatia
23.South Korea
24.Australia
25.Qatar
26.Jordan
27.Ghana
28.Ecuador
29.Saudi Arabia
30.Czechia
31.Iran
32.Iraq
33.Haiti
34.Austria
35.Colombia
36.Ivory Coast
37.Paraguay
38.South Africa
39.Algeria
40.Bosnia-Herzegovina
41.Turkiye
42.Uzbekistan
43.Egypt
44.Panama
45.New Zealand
46.Cabo Verde
47.Curacao
48.Switzerland
Tie Breaker
The sequence of tie breakers is:
1.Highest ranking of the Cup winner
2.Highest ranking of the other finalist
3.Highest ranking of the winner of the consolation final (match #63 on the
schedule)
4.Highest ranking of the loser of the consolation final (match #63 on the
schedule)
5.Highest combined (summed) ranking of the other four quarter-finalists
6.Highest single ranking of one of the other four quarter-finalists
7.Highest combined (summed) ranking of the other eight stage 2 teams
8.Highest single ranking of one of the other eight stage 2 teams
9.Highest total goal differential of each ranked team, starting with top
ranked teams
10.Coin toss