Rules & Help
The Final Fan — WC2026
The Basics
Pick Teams to Win
Simply Pick Teams. Be Smart → Underdogs are worth more but Favourites win more matches!
Stay in the Game
Win and Lose Lives → Just finish each Round Above Zero to Avoid Elimination
Be The Final Fan
Survive → Beat the World and Your Friends to be a WC Legend in 2026
Two Games to Play
10 Rounds— Full Tournament (Group Stage & Knockout Stages)
Sign up before Thu, Jun 11, 06:30 PM UTC to earn a Second Chance
Last entry: Thu, Jun 18, 03:30 PM UTC (No Second Chance)
7 Rounds — Knockout Stages Only (Round of 32 → Final)
Last entry: Sun, Jun 28, 06:30 PM UTC
The rules are the same. Game 2 just has fewer rounds and covers Knockout Stages only.
Sign up before the Round 2 deadline and you can play both games. Sign up after that, and you'll join the Knockout Stages Game only.
Use the buttons below to switch the rules view between games:
Rounds & Deadlines — Main Game
Rounds open as the previous round closes — see deadlines below:
| Round | Stage | Picks | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Group | 12 | Thu, Jun 11, 06:30 PM UTC |
| 2 | Group | 12 | Thu, Jun 18, 03:30 PM UTC |
| 3 | Group | 12 | Wed, Jun 24, 06:30 PM UTC |
| 4 | R32 | 7 | Sun, Jun 28, 06:30 PM UTC |
| 5 | R32 | 9 | Wed, Jul 1, 03:30 PM UTC |
| 6 | R16 | 4 | Sat, Jul 4, 04:30 PM UTC |
| 7 | R16 | 4 | Mon, Jul 6, 06:30 PM UTC |
| 8 | QF | 4 | Thu, Jul 9, 07:30 PM UTC |
| 9 | SF | 2 | Tue, Jul 14, 06:30 PM UTC |
| 10 | Final | 1 | Sun, Jul 19, 06:30 PM UTC |
Lives Scoring — Group Stage (Rounds 1–3)
How It Works — Group Rounds (R1–R3)
In each Group Round, pick one team from each of the 12 groups to win their match that round.
Each pick has three possible outcomes:
The amount of lives won or lost depend on whether you picked the Favourite or Underdog (see table below).
| Your pick | Win | Draw | Lose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Favourite | +1 | 0 | −2 |
| Underdog | +2 | +1 | −1 |
Lives Scoring — Knockout Rounds (Rounds 4–10)
How It Works — Knockout Rounds
In each Knockout Round, pick a team from each match to advance to the next round. Your team must win in regulation time, extra time, or on penalties.
Each match has two possible outcomes:
The amount of lives won or lost depend on whether you picked the Favourite, Underdog, or Toss-Up (see table below).
| Your pick | Win | Lose |
|---|---|---|
| Favourite | +1 | −2 |
| Underdog | +2 | −1 |
| Toss-Up | +1 | −1 |
Favourite, Underdog & Toss-Up
The team with a win probability above 55%, sourced from prediction data before each match.
The team with a win probability below 45%. Higher reward, higher risk.
When neither team is clearly favoured (favourite's win probability is below 55%). Knockout rounds only — both teams treated equally: +1 correct, −1 wrong.
Classifications are set from prediction data before each round's deadline. In the group stage, the stronger team on form is the Favourite.
No-Repeat Rule
During the group stage (Rounds 1–3), you cannot pick the same team more than once across rounds. Choose carefully — your Round 1 pick is locked out for Rounds 2 and 3.
Example
You pick Brazil in Round 1. Brazil is now dimmed in Rounds 2 and 3 — you must pick a different team from their group.
Lives
- →Lives reset at the start of each round — your lives from the previous round do not carry over.
- →Win and lose lives based on pick outcomes (see scoring table above).
- →Finish each round above zero lives to advance. Drop to zero or below and you're eliminated.
- →Lives are only updated after a match officially finishes — not during play.
Example round
Pick Underdog → they win: +2 lives
Pick Favourite → they lose: −2 lives
Pick Underdog → they lose: −1 life
Net change: −1. Stay above zero by round end to survive.
Referral Bonus
Earn an extra life in Round 1 by referring a friend before the Round 1 deadline. Share your referral link from your profile — when a friend signs up using your link, you both get +1 life for Round 1.
This bonus only applies to Main Game (Game 1) — not the Knockout Stages Game.
Second Chance
Sign up before Round 1 to earn a Second Chance. If you're eliminated in Rounds 1–5, you automatically re-enter the next round at that round's starting lives. You can only use it once, and the last possible re-entry is Round 6 (R16a).
Second Chance is Main Game only. There is no Second Chance in the Knockout Stages Game.
Late joiners: Players joining in Round 2 may still enter the Main Game, but your Second Chance is consumed on entry.
Friends Tourneys
Create a private tourney for friends, family, or colleagues. You can simply share a link which will let friends click and join automatically, or use your unique shareable 6-character PIN — anyone with the PIN can join. Track everyone's lives and standings in one place.
You can set up an optional private entry fee to create and track a Winners Pool should you wish. TheFinalFan.com has no involvement whatsoever in any fees, payments or transactions agreed by and between Friends. The Tourney Manager is the sole organiser. It is your responsibility to confirm that Friend pools are permitted where you live.
Tiebreakers
If multiple players survive to the Final, three tiebreaker questions decide the winner. These are answered before the Final kicks off.
- Who will win the Final?
- What will the score be at full-time?
- Which player will score the first goal?
Final Rankings
- Players who submitted picks rank above those who didn't.
- Among active submitters, higher lives total wins.
- Ties are broken by the three tiebreaker questions (in order).
Prizes
See all details and Terms for Prizes here →
FAQs
Still need help? Get in touch
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