Overview
The World Cup Bracket is a pick'em contest built around the 2026 Men's World Cup (June 11 – July 19). Commissioners can include both the Group Stage and Knockout Stage, or limit their contest to the Knockout Stage only. The goal is simple: finish with the most points at the end of the tournament.
About the 2026 World Cup
The 2026 World Cup is the first to feature 48 teams across 12 groups of 4 (Groups A–L). The top 2 teams from each group advance automatically, plus the 8 best third-place finishers — bringing the total to 32 teams in the knockout bracket and 31 total knockout games.
Group Stage
In the Group Stage, members predict the finishing position of each team within their group — 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th. Points are awarded for each correct ranking.
With 12 groups of 4 teams, members can predict up to 48 rankings total.
Example: If 1 point is awarded per correct ranking, a perfect Group Stage score is 48 points.
Point values are fully configurable by the commissioner.
Knockout Stage
After the Group Stage concludes, members fill out their knockout bracket by picking the winner of all 31 games. Members pick the actual teams that qualified for the bracket — not the teams they predicted in the Group Stage.
Members fill out their brackets after the Group Stage is completed, once the field of 32 is known.
Points are awarded for each correct pick, with higher point values in later rounds.
Point values per round are fully configurable by the commissioner.
The default point values for the 2026 knockout rounds are:
Round of 32: 1 point
Round of 16: 2 points
Quarterfinals: 4 points
Semifinals: 6 points
Final: 8 points
Tiebreaker
The tiebreaker asks members to predict the total number of goals scored across all 31 knockout stage games. The member whose guess is closest to the actual total wins the tiebreaker.
How to Win
The member with the most total points at the end of the tournament wins. Entry fees and payouts are managed by the commissioner outside of Splash.