Blog
Win the group chat.
Guides for organizers, strategy for the ones who keep count, and football-pool culture for everyone else.
Messi's Last Argentina Match: 3-0 Over Benin, and Goal 126
Argentina beat Benin 3-0 at the Monumental on 6 October in Messi's farewell. Otamendi, Nico Paz and a Messi penalty. Plus what actually scores this weekend.
NFL Week 5 Pick'em: 15 Games Because Two Teams Are Off
Week 5 runs 8 to 12 October. The full card in Eastern time, why byes make it 15 games instead of 16, and the rule your pool needs before the first bye week.
Man City guilty on 114 of 115: nine seasons with an asterisk
An independent commission found Manchester City guilty of 114 of 115 Premier League charges. What's settled, what isn't, and why your table needs official data.
The Nations League is playing through the international break
No Premier League until October 10, but the Nations League is playing inside the gap and matchday 3 starts Thursday. What that does and does not do for your pool.
NFL Week 4 Pick'em: 15 Games and a 9:30 AM Kickoff
Week 4 runs 1 to 5 October. The full card in Eastern time, the 15 games left after Thursday night, and the one early kickoff that breaks a single-deadline pool.
No league football for 11 days: keep your pool alive
From September 28 to October 8 there is no Liga MX, LaLiga or Premier League fixture. Here is what is still on the board and how to run a pool through the gap.
NFL Week 3 Pick'em: 15 Games Left and Why It Isn't Week 4
It is Week 3, not Week 4. The full NFL card in Eastern time, the 15 games left after Thursday, and the pool rules to settle before Sunday's 1:00 PM block.
International break: what call-ups do to your pick'em pool
Some leagues pause for the window, others play on with gutted squads. How call-ups change a pick'em pool, and the rules to set before the round.
Brentford 3-0 Chelsea, Bayern 7-0: Friday's Two Blowouts
Two lopsided Friday results in opposite directions, plus Harry Kane's 100th Bundesliga goal, and what they say about picking winners in a pick'em pool.
Single-round vs season-long pick'em pools: which format fits?
A single-round pool is quick; a season-long pool builds a real race. Compare setup, scoring, late joins and organizer workload before choosing.
NFL Week 2 Pick'em: 16 Games and Three Tight Calls
NFL Week 2 opens with Detroit at Buffalo and runs 16 games through Monday. Week 1's numbers and the pool rules that decide your pick'em card with friends.
Quiniela, Porra, Bolão: Football Pool Names Around the World
Your office pool has a different name in every country: quiniela, prode, polla, penca, porra, bolão, predictor. Here's the map, and the two false friends.
When Should Pick'em Pool Picks Lock?
Choose a fair pick'em pool deadline: lock every game separately, use one shared round deadline, and decide what happens when a fixture is moved.
The Outsider Bonus: Paying Extra for the Pick Nobody Else Made
When everyone picks the favourite and the favourite wins, the round separates nobody. The outsider bonus pays the correct pick almost nobody had.
Distance Scoring for Pick'em Pools, Explained
Distance scoring rewards close score calls instead of making every miss equal. See the formula, worked examples, and the rules your pick'em group needs.
Champions League matchday 1: 11 home wins, 2 draws, 5 away wins
All 18 league-phase openers are done. The split that matters for your pool is 11-2-5 — and it was the five away wins that wrecked most cards in week one.
Exact-Score Pick'em: Scoring Rules That Keep It Fair
Run an exact-score pick'em pool without weekly arguments: how to award points, when picks lock, which tiebreakers to use, and how to handle moved games.
How to Run an NFL Pick'em Pool With Friends (2026 Season)
The 2026 NFL season opens September 9. How to set up a pick'em pool, what to decide before Week 1, and why the Thursday-to-Monday split breaks spreadsheets.
Five Premier League Matches, Not One Home Win
Liverpool 2-2 Forest, Bournemouth 1-1 Everton, Coventry 0-1 Hull and Tottenham 0-2 Newcastle. Saturday's results, and what is still to play on Sunday and Monday.
How to Run an Office Pick'em Pool at Work (Free, No Money)
A practical guide to running an office pick'em pool: the four decisions to make before week one, how the formats compare, and what kills most pools.
Down 3-0 and Through: the Box Nobody Had on Their Sheet
LASK lost the first leg 3-0 at Celtic, won the return 5-1 after extra time and went through 5-4. What a tie like that does to a knockout prediction pool.
Serie A Matchday 1: All Ten Results, and Only One Draw
Serie A 2026-27 opened August 22-24. All ten results with sources, Malen's hat-trick for Roma, and the away-win pattern that broke most opening-round pools.
Fulham 2-3 Chelsea: the last box on matchday 1 is filled
Chelsea won 3-2 at Craven Cottage to close Premier League matchday 1. Five goals, three of them in thirteen minutes, plus the full ten-game round.
A 99th-Minute Penalty and Two Late Goals: Sunday's Pool Wreckers
Liverpool salvaged a draw at Newcastle in the 90+9th minute, Man City scored twice after the 84th, and Brighton put four past Villa. Sunday's results.
Seven Upsets in One Saturday: What It Does to a Pool
Hull City beat Manchester United on their return to the top flight, and five leagues threw up seven upsets on the same Saturday. The full list, with sources.
Leagues Cup Quarterfinals: 4 Mexican Clubs, 0 Games in Mexico, 0 MLS Teams Left
Liga MX won all four Leagues Cup quarterfinals in the US. The results, the all-Mexican semifinal bracket, and what a round with no home team does to your pool.
A Match Decided on Penalties: How Should Your Pool Count It?
A shootout is not a result your prediction slip already knows how to handle. Here is how pools count a match settled on penalties, and why you should agree on it before the round starts.
Survivor Pools Explained: When a Draw Keeps You Alive
In a survivor pool you pick one team per week and a loss knocks you out. Here is how the format works, and why in Quini a draw keeps you alive.
Best Football Prediction Pool Apps for Friends (2026), Compared
Six apps for a private football prediction pool with friends in 2026, compared on real prices, free player limits, custom scoring and live leaderboards. Short answer first.
What Is the Campeón de Campeones? Liga MX's Title, Explained
Mexico's super cup is a one-off final between the Apertura and Clausura champions, played in the United States. What it is, why it's there, and who won in 2026.
Benfica Lost in Switzerland: Europe Is Back and Already Chaotic
Benfica lost in St. Gallen, FCSB lost at home to a Latvian club, Hibernian lost in Kosovo. Why Europe's qualifying rounds wreck prediction pools — and how to score them.
MLS Is Back: 15 Games, 50 Goals, Two Superstar Debuts
MLS returned from the summer break with all 15 games on one night, 50 goals, four draws and six one-goal finishes. Here's what that chaos means for your prediction pool.
When Does the 2026-27 Football Season Start? Pool Calendar
LaLiga opened August 15. The Premier League and Ligue 1 both kick off Friday, August 21, Serie A's Matchday 1 runs August 22-24 and the Bundesliga follows August 28.
Spain are champions: the 106th-minute goal nobody had
Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in extra time on Ferran Torres' 106th-minute goal. How the final was decided, and why nobody had that scoreline.
Spain vs Argentina: how both reached the 2026 final
The 2026 final is set: Spain beat France 2-0, Argentina edged England 2-1 with late drama. Here's the road each took — and what it means for the last pick of your pool.
What Is a Quiniela? The Mexican Football Pool, Explained
A quiniela is a friendly football prediction pool: everyone calls the scores, points decide the leaderboard, bragging rights are the prize. Here's how it works.
Summer Transfer Window 2026: the moves that change your picks
Rodri joins Barcelona from Manchester City days before the Premier League kicks off. The 2026 summer transfers that reshape your prediction pool picks.
How to Run a Soccer Prediction Pool With Friends
The no-spreadsheet guide to running a season-long soccer prediction pool with friends: rules, game modes, scoring, and a two-minute setup that actually lasts.
How to Run a World Cup Knockout Pool with Friends
Everything you need to run a knockout-stage pool: rules that survive extra time and penalties, scoring that keeps it fun, and a setup that takes two minutes.