Beat the Gaffer
World Cup 2026
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World Cup 2026 · Tournament

Group Stage

48 teams, 12 groups, 72 games. Win your group or scrap for one of the eight best third places. Miss out, you're on a plane home.

24
of 72 played
48
teams
32
go through
0
live now

Your group

pick one, it opens up
The Gaffer, over the group tables
AYour group · 2/6 played
Top two through, third place into the race for the last eight. Your picks here are scored live against every result.
TeamPWDLGDPts
1Mexico1100+23
2South Korea1100+13
3Czechia1001-10
4South Africa1001-20
Your picks in this group, scored against the result

Sign in to see your picks scored here.

Honest data The table is computed from finished fixtures exactly as the live page does; your picks are scored on top, the part the all-groups grid can't show.

The tables

all 12 · tap to open
Top two qualifyThird into the thirds race

The race for the eight best thirds

12 third-placed sides, 8 survive
The Gaffer, on the thirds race
Nobody talks about the thirds. They decide it.
Finish third in your four and you're not out yet: the 8 best third-placed teams across all 12 groups still go through. This is the line nobody watches until the final night.
Third-placed teamGrpPtsGDGFStatus
NetherlandsF102In the 8
BelgiumG101In the 8
MoroccoC101In the 8
PortugalK101In the 8
QatarB101In the 8
Cape Verde IslandsH100In the 8
CzechiaA0-11In the 8
EcuadorE0-10Last in · 8th
▼ Cut-off · these 4 miss out as it stands
PanamaL0-10Out · 9th
JordanJ0-21Out · 10th
SenegalI0-21Out · 11th
TurkeyD0-20Out · 12th

Ranked the FIFA way: points, then goal difference, then goals scored. Pure computation from the same standings, no opinion in it. Two matchdays can still move every line here.

My table read vs the Gaffer's call

drops in the group chat

Read your table against his.

Once you've picked your group games, this card lines your projected group winners up against the Gaffer's and shows where you split. Make your picks →

Needs data

The Gaffer's written read of each group. Every state above is honest computation. His one-line verdict per group is the character layer, and it needs generated Gaffer content per group, the same pipeline as his post-round verdict. Until that lands, the page shows the maths and his projected winners, not invented quotes.

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