📋 Contest Rules

• Sign in with your Premji Invest Microsoft account to participate.
• You have two sets of predictions to make: Group Stage picks and Knockout Stage score predictions.
• Group Stage picks lock on 14 June 2026 at midnight IST — before the first match kicks off.
• Knockout Stage picks lock on 28 June 2026 at 6 PM IST — before the Round of 32 begins.
• You can update your picks any number of times before the deadlines.
• The Leaderboard updates in real time as the organiser enters actual results.

For each of the 12 groups (A–L), pick which team finishes 1st and which finishes 2nd. Also pick the 8 best third-place teams that advance to the Round of 32 (ranked best to worst).

Maximum group stage score: 12 groups × 8 pts = 96 pts

For each knockout match, predict the final score (after 90 min / extra time).

"Correct result" means correctly predicting who wins (or a draw) without the exact score.

• The 2026 World Cup has 48 teams — top 2 from each of 12 groups advance, plus the 8 best 3rd-place teams.
• This creates a Round of 32 (16 matches) for the first time in World Cup history.
• 8 matches are Group Winner vs 3rd-place team; 4 are Group Winner vs Runner-up; 4 are Runner-up vs Runner-up.
• The exact opponents for 3rd-place slots depend on which 8 third-place teams qualify — determined by FIFA's Annex C table (495 possible combinations).
• You predict scores for all 31 knockout matches (R32 → R16 → QF → SF → 3rd Place → Final).