The biggest soccer tournament in the world starts on June 11, and you can put your knowledge of the beautiful game to the test with Yahoo’s all-new 2026 Soccer Pick ‘Em with FOX One!
Make picks throughout the FIFA World Cup 2026™, earn points for correct answers and climb the leaderboard. You can play solo to compete against the field, create a private group with friends to compete for bragging rights or join a public group to play with other fans.
Whether you’re a soccer die-hard, a casual fan or someone who’s never watched a game, there’s a strong chance you’ve heard of the FIFA World Cup. If you’re in one of the latter camps and want to get in on the excitement, we have you covered with our soccer pick ‘em 101.
A bit of context before we get into how to play. With 48 teams, this is the biggest FIFA World Cup ever. The teams are drawn into 12 groups of four. After round-robin group play, the top two teams in each group advance to the Round of 32, as do the eight best third-place teams. The expansion means 104 total matches, 40 more than the previous FIFA World Cup.
So you can pick using your head (trusting the betting favorites), your heart (leaning into your ancestry) or go random-mode with selections based on your favorite flags or country to visit. Bottom line, this should make your FIFA World Cup journey even more fun. We’ll also have plenty of content leading up to the tournament to help you make more informed picks.
The basics
Before you play …
-
Make sure you’re signed into the Yahoo Sports app, Yahoo Fantasy app or sports.yahoo.com.
-
If you don’t have a Yahoo account, you can register by clicking here.
How do I make my pick ‘em selections?
-
In the Yahoo Sports or Yahoo Fantasy app, tap Games at the bottom.
-
On the Games screen, find 2026 Soccer Pick ‘Em with FOX One.
-
Make your selection for each of the questions in the game. You can save your picks at any time, and you can edit them up until each individual question locks.
How many rounds are there?
There are five rounds over the course of the game.
-
Group Stage (June 11-27)
-
Round of 32 (June 28 through July 3)
-
Round of 16 (July 4-7)
-
Quarterfinals (July 9-11)
-
Semifinals + Finals (July 14-19)
When will I be able to make my selections for each round?
-
All questions for the Group Stage will be available on May 13.
-
All questions for the Round of 32 will be available on June 18. Question choices will be updated as Group Stage play continues.
-
All questions for the Round of 16 will be available on July 1. Question choices will be updated as Round of 32 play continues.
-
All questions for the Quarterfinals will be available on July 6. Question choices will be updated as Round of 16 play continues.
-
All questions for the Semifinals + Finals will be available on July 12.
How does scoring work?
As the tournament progresses, the points for each correct answer become more valuable.
Group stage
13 total questions
-
Pick the 12 group winners
-
Select one player whom you expect to score the most goals in the Group Stage
Scoring
-
5 points for each correct Group Winner
-
2 points if your selection finishes second in their group
-
3 points for every goal scored in the group stage by your selection
Round of 32
16 total questions
-
Pick which team will win each of the Round of 32 matches
Scoring
-
5 points for each correct answer
Round of 16
8 total questions
-
Pick which team will win each of the Round of 16 matches
Scoring
-
10 points for each correct answer
Quarterfinals
4 total questions
-
Pick which team will win each of Quarterfinal match
Scoring
-
20 points for each correct answer
Semifinals and Finals
4 total questions
-
Pick which team will win each of the two Semifinal matches
-
Pick which team will win the Third Place Match
-
Pick which team will win the Finals
Scoring
-
40 points for each correct Semifinal pick
-
40 points for correctly picking the Third Place Match winner
-
80 points for picking the Finals winner correctly
When do questions lock?
During each round, questions will lock when the first match that impacts that question kicks off.
Group stage
-
“Who will win Group A?” and “Who will score the most goals?” will both lock when the first match of the tournament begins on June 11.
-
As more groups begin play over the following days, more questions will lock.
For the Round of 32, Round of 16 and Quarterfinals
-
Each question will lock when the match kicks off.
Semifinals and Finals
-
The “Who will win the Third Place Match?” and “Who will win the Finals?” questions will both lock at the same time as the first Semifinal match, meaning you must make your selection for who will win those matches prior to knowing which two teams will advance from the Semifinals.