Back to tracker
FIFA World Cup 2026

Knockout Pool — Rules & Format

A two-phase survival pool for the 2026 FIFA World Cup (June 11 – July 19). Pick teams to advance in the group stage, then survive a round-by-round knockout gauntlet. One wrong pick and you're out. Last person standing takes the pot.

Entry fee

$10 / person

Payout

Winner take all

Rebuy

$10 (Phase 1 only)

Total picks

10 (5 + 5)

Format at a glance

StageDatesPicksDeadline
Phase 1: GroupsJun 11–275Jun 11
Round of 32Jun 28–Jul 31*Jun 28
Round of 16Jul 4–71Jul 4
QuarterfinalsJul 9–111Jul 9
SemifinalsJul 14–151Jul 14
FinalJul 191Jul 19

*Rebuys pick 2 or 3 in the Round of 32 to close the burn gap.

Phase 1: Group stage

  1. 1Pick any 5 teams from the 48 in the tournament — no group constraints.
  2. 2A team advances if it finishes top 2 of its group, or as one of the 8 best third-place teams. 32 of 48 teams advance.
  3. 3“Advance” means reaching the knockout stage, not winning the group.
  4. 4All 5 must be correct to survive Phase 1. If at least 3 of 5 are correct, you may rebuy into the knockouts.
  5. 5All 5 of your teams are burned for Phase 2 — even the ones that advanced.

Rebuy rule

Eliminated in Phase 1 but got at least 3 of 5 right? You can rebuy for an additional $10. Burned teams stay burned. Rebuys pick extra teams in the Round of 32 to even things out:

4/5

Pick 2 teams in the Round of 32.

3/5

Pick 3 teams in the Round of 32.

Phase 2: Knockout survival

  1. 1Before each round, pick 1 team to win from that round’s matches.
  2. 2Each team can only be used once across the entire tournament.
  3. 3Advancing is what matters — wins via extra time or penalties count.
  4. 4One wrong pick and you’re eliminated.
  5. 5No unburned teams left to pick? That’s an automatic loss.

Payment & deadlines

Entry fee ($10) is due by Venmo @Andrew-Otey or PayPal andrew.otey@gmail.com before the first match on June 11.

Good luck.

Back to leaderboard