Competition Rules

World Cup 2026 Sweep — 8 players, 48 teams, 6 teams each. Scores are calculated automatically from match results. No points are stored — everything is computed live.

Team Allocation

The 48 teams are divided into 4 FIFA ranking tiers. Each player receives:

  • 1 team from Tier 1
  • 1 team from Tier 2
  • 1 team from Tier 3
  • 1 team from Tier 4
  • 2 additional teams (remaining 16 distributed randomly)

Total: 6 teams per player.

Group Stage Scoring

+10
Win
+5
Draw
+3
Per goal scored
Applies to every goal in the match.

Group Qualification Bonuses

+12
Finish 1st in group
+10
Finish 2nd in group
+8
Finish 3rd and qualify
Awarded to the 8 best third-placed teams across all 12 groups.

Bonuses are only awarded once all matches in a group are complete. Third-place bonuses are held until all 12 groups finish.

Knockout Stage Scoring

+20
Win
Awarded to the winning team whether the match ends in normal time, extra time, or a penalty shootout.
+5
Per in-game goal
Goals scored in normal time and extra time. Penalty shootout goals are not included.
+2
Per penalty shootout goal
Each successful penalty scored in the shootout earns +2 points.

Example — England 1–1 USA (pens 5–3)

England
Win: +20
Goal: +5
Penalties (5): +10
= 35 pts
USA
Goal: +5
Penalties (3): +6
= 11 pts

Group Stage Standings & Tiebreakers

When teams are level on points, they are separated in this order:

  1. Goal difference (overall)
  2. Goals scored (overall)
  3. Head-to-head points
  4. Head-to-head goal difference
  5. Head-to-head goals scored
  6. Disciplinary points (lower = better)
  7. Alphabetical order (final fallback)

Tournament Format

48 teams across 12 groups of 4.

32 teams qualify for the knockout stage — the top 2 from each group plus the 8 best third-placed teams.

Knockout rounds: Round of 32 → Round of 16 → Quarter-finals → Semi-finals → Third Place Playoff → Final.