Overview
Before the 2026 World Cup kicks off, you'll need to submit your 4 Group Stage picks — the teams you believe will advance out of the Group Stage into the Round of 32. This is your only action before the knockout bracket begins, so choose carefully.
How to Make Your Picks
Open your contest and navigate to the pick sheet.
Browse the available teams across all 12 groups (Groups A–L).
Select 4 teams you believe will advance to the Round of 32.
Submit your picks before the deadline: June 11, 2026 @ 3:00 PM ET (first match kickoff).
Your picks can come from any group — there is no requirement to pick from specific groups or regions.
What Are the Advancement Probabilities?
Next to each team on the pick sheet, you'll see a modeled probability of advancing out of the Group Stage. These percentages reflect each team's likelihood of finishing in the top 2 of their group, or among the 8 best third-place finishers.
Use these to help inform your selections — higher probability teams are safer picks, but may be commonly chosen across the field.
What About Third-Place Teams?
The 2026 World Cup has 12 groups of 4. The top 2 teams from each group automatically advance, plus the 8 best third-place finishers from across all 12 groups also advance — for a total of 32 teams in the knockout bracket.
This means a team that finishes 3rd in their group is not automatically eliminated — they may still advance if they are among the 8 best third-place records. The advancement probability displayed on the pick sheet accounts for this possibility.
Note: No more than 3 teams from the same group can advance (top 2 automatic + up to 1 best third-place finisher).
What Happens After the Group Stage?
All 4 of your picks must advance to survive Phase 1. If even one of your selected teams is eliminated in the Group Stage, your entry is eliminated — regardless of how your other 3 picks perform.
If all 4 advance, your entry moves on to the Knockout Stage where you'll pick 1 team per round to win their match.
Tips for Group Stage Picks
Think ahead — teams you pick in the Group Stage count against your team use limit for the Knockout Stage. Avoid using your strongest teams just to survive the group round.
Target heavy favorites — look for groups with a dominant top team that is very likely to advance, freeing up stronger nations for later rounds.
Diversify across groups — spreading picks across different groups reduces the risk of multiple eliminations from one bad group result.
Questions? Email support@splashsports.com.