Three formats dominate the "let's do something for the World Cup" conversation: a prediction league, a bracket pool, and fantasy football. They demand very different amounts of effort and reward different things. This is a straight comparison to help you pick the one that fits your group.
What each format is
Prediction league
Everyone predicts the scoreline of every match before kickoff. Points are awarded automatically for exact scores, correct results, knockout qualifiers and bonus questions, and a live table ranks the group for the whole tournament. Effort is a burst up front plus a few minutes before each knockout round.
Bracket pool
Each person fills in the knockout bracket once — who beats whom, all the way to the winner — and scores points as their picks survive, usually with later rounds worth more. After submission there is nothing to do; your bracket either holds up or busts.
Fantasy football
You draft a squad of real players under a budget, set a lineup each matchday, and score based on those players' goals, assists, clean sheets and cards. It rewards knowledge of individual players and requires active management — transfers, captaincy, rotation — throughout the tournament.
Side by side
| Prediction league | Bracket pool | Fantasy football | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ongoing effort | Low | None after submission | High |
| Skill vs luck | Judgement over many matches | A few high-stakes calls | Player knowledge + management |
| Stays alive late | Yes — knockout & bonus points | Only if your bracket holds | Yes |
| Good for non-fans | Yes | Yes | No |
| Group size | Any | Any | Best small to medium |
| Setup | Create league, set scoring | Share one bracket | Draft rules, budgets, scoring |
Which one fits your group
- Mixed group, some casual fans: a prediction league. Everyone can predict a scoreline; nobody needs to know squad depth.
- You want minimal commitment: a bracket pool. One submission and done.
- Everyone is a serious fan who wants to manage a team: fantasy football.
- Large office or friends-of-friends group: a prediction league scales best — automatic scoring, one shared table, no per-person admin.
- You want the contest to last the whole tournament: a prediction league or fantasy; a bracket pool can be effectively over if a favourite goes out early.
Get started
If a prediction league is the fit, read how to run one or go straight to creating a league. Want to tune how points are awarded first? See the scoring systems guide.