Guide
How to run a 2026 World Cup pool with friends
Running a World Cup pool is one of the best ways to live the tournament with your friends. Here's how to set it up from start to finish — no spreadsheets, no manual scorekeeping.
1. Gather your group
First, decide who you'll compete with: friends, family, coworkers or a bit of everyone. There's no ideal number; it works just as well with 4 people as with 40. What matters is that they're people you enjoy a bit of friendly rivalry with.
2. Create the group and pick the tournament
In SportPredictions you create a group, give it a fun name and select the 2026 World Cup as the tournament. In seconds you'll have a code and an invite link ready to share over WhatsApp.
3. Invite everyone before the first match
Share the link in your group chat and encourage everyone to sign up before the tournament starts. Remember that each match's predictions lock at kick-off, so the sooner they join, the more matches they'll be able to predict.
💡 Tip: set a symbolic deadline («sign-ups until the day before the first match») so nobody is left out and everyone makes their champion prediction in time.
4. Don't forget the champion and runner-up prediction
This prediction is worth a lot of points and often decides who wins the pool. Make sure everyone picks their champion and runner-up before the deadline; it's the kind of point that makes the difference in the end.
5. Keep the competition alive
The fun of a pool is the daily rivalry. Share leaderboard screenshots in the chat, celebrate the exact scores and gently tease whoever's last. The leaderboard updates itself as soon as matches finish, so there's always something to talk about.
Ready to start
That's it — your World Cup pool set up in minutes. Create your group, invite your people and may the best forecaster win. If you want to understand exactly how points are awarded, check our points system guide.