Guide
Pool, sweepstake, quiniela, bolão: what they are and how they differ
Every country calls it something different, but the idea is the same: predict a tournament's results and compete with your friends to see who gets the most right. Here we clear up the names and how the modern version works.
They're all the same idea
A pool or sweepstake (US/UK), a quiniela (Mexico, Spain, Argentina), a prode (Argentina), a bolão (Brazil) or a porra (Spain) are, in essence, the same thing: a group of people who predict match scores and earn points based on how close they get to the real result.
Where the names come from
- Quiniela / Prode: from the old sports-pools coupons filled in by hand marking 1 (home), X (draw) or 2 (away).
- Pool / Sweepstake: the shared pot that the winner takes, a classic office tradition.
- Bolão: the Brazilian term for a collective bet among friends.
How the modern version works
It used to be tracked on paper or a spreadsheet: someone collected the predictions, compared them with the results and added them up by hand. Today, with SportPredictions, it's all automatic: everyone enters their scores, the platform compares them with the real result as soon as the match ends, and updates the leaderboard instantly.
💡 The key difference from a betting site: here no real money is wagered. It's a game of skill and fun among friends; what's at stake is pride (and, if you want, a symbolic prize you define yourselves).
Does it matter what you call it?
Exactly. Whether you call it a pool, sweepstake, quiniela or bolão, on SportPredictions you create your group, choose the tournament (like the 2026 World Cup) and invite your friends. The name changes by country; the fun is the same.