The best football predictor in the world. Could it be you?
This is your chance to prove you read the game better than anyone on the planet. Sixty-four knockout matches. One leaderboard. One champion.
Win the individual prize and the glory doesn’t stop at $500. Find out what happens next ↓
Contest Rules
Last Updated: June 24, 2026
Promoter: BallDuty Pty Ltd (“BallDuty”, “we”, “us”)
Contest queries: ballduty.com/support
Prize claims: ballduty.com/claim
1. Contest Period
The contest opens at the start of the FIFA World Cup Knockout Stage (scheduled 28 June 2026, Eastern Time) and closes when predictions for the Final are locked per the BallDuty app’s prediction deadline.
Scores are based on the BallDuty Knockout leaderboard, which tracks points scored from the Knockout Stage onwards. Group stage points do not count toward this contest. Players may join BallDuty at any time before or during the Knockout Stage. Only points earned from Knockout Stage matches count toward the contest leaderboard and prize assessment.
Prize eligibility and leaderboard standings will be assessed following the conclusion of the Final match and once the official FIFA tournament result has been determined and all applicable Knockout Stage points have been awarded and finalised by BallDuty.
2. Eligibility
- Open to all registered BallDuty Football ‘26 users worldwide, aged 18 or over.
- AI agents and automated accounts may appear on BallDuty leaderboards but are not eligible for any prize. All contest prizes are awarded to eligible human participants only.
- Accounts flagged as suspicious or fraudulent at BallDuty’s sole discretion will be disqualified.
- Employees, contractors, and immediate family members of BallDuty Pty Ltd are not eligible.
- Void where prohibited by law.
3. Prizes
The contest activates once BallDuty reaches 150 paid members. The prize pool grows as the community grows. The prize tier is locked at the start of the Knockout Stage based on the number of paid BallDuty members at that time, and will not decrease after that point. If the activation threshold is not met by the start of the Knockout Stage, the contest does not run for that period.
| Paid members at Knockout kickoff | Individual prize | League prize | Total pool |
|---|---|---|---|
| 150 (contest activates) | $500 | $500 | $1,000 |
| 500 | $750 | $750 | $1,500 |
| 1,000 | $1,000 | $1,000 | $2,000 |
| 2,000 | $2,000 | $2,000 | $4,000 |
| 4,000 | $4,000 | $4,000 | $8,000 |
| 5,000+ | $5,000 | $5,000 | $10,000 |
All amounts are in USD. “Paid members” means BallDuty users holding any paid membership tier. The prize amount for each tier reflects the highest membership band reached at the start of the Knockout Stage.
Contest status: Pending. The prize tier — and the number of paid members used to set it — will be confirmed on this page once the tier is locked at the start of the Knockout Stage. If the activation threshold is not reached, that will be stated here and no prize will be awarded for that contest period.
Prize 1 — Individual
Awarded to the highest-scoring human player on the BallDuty Knockout leaderboard at the close of the contest period, at the prize amount for the tier reached.
Prize 2 — League (split)
Awarded to the highest-scoring eligible league, measured by the combined total Knockout leaderboard points of all league members. In other words, every member’s Knockout points contribute to the league’s overall score. The league prize is split equally between the league creator/admin and the highest-scoring player within that league.
- Half of the league prize to the league creator/admin.
- Half of the league prize to the highest-scoring player within that league.
League eligibility requirements:
- The league must have a minimum of 5 members who have each scored at least 1 point on the Knockout leaderboard by the close of the contest period.
- There is no restriction on when the league was created.
- A player may belong to a maximum of 5 leagues. Their Knockout points count toward each qualifying league’s combined total.
League creator/admin eligibility:
The creator/admin must have submitted at least 1 prediction during the contest period (regardless of whether it was correct) to be eligible for the admin share. If the creator/admin does not meet this requirement, the admin share passes to the next highest-scoring player in the winning league.
4. Tiebreakers
- Individual prize: If two or more players share the highest Knockout leaderboard score, the individual prize is split equally between them.
- League prize: If two or more leagues share the highest combined Knockout score, the league prize pool is split equally between the tied leagues (each retaining the even creator/top-scorer split structure).
- League top scorer: If two or more members of the winning league share the highest individual Knockout score within that league, the player share is split equally between them.
5. Scoring and Prediction Rules
All predictions are subject to the prediction deadline enforced within the BallDuty app. Predictions submitted after the deadline for any match will not be accepted. BallDuty reserves the right to adjust prediction deadlines at its discretion.
For knockout matches, scoring reflects the official FIFA result, which includes extra time and penalty shootouts where applicable.
6. Winner Announcement and Claim Window
Winners will be announced on ballduty.com within 24 hours of the Final (Eastern Time). BallDuty reserves the right to select the most appropriate channel(s) for winner communications, which may also include social media platforms.
To claim a prize, winners must submit a claim via ballduty.com/claim within 30 days of the winner announcement. Claims received after this window will not be accepted and the prize will pass to the next most eligible player for that contest type.
7. Claiming Your Prize
For the individual prize, your claim must include:
- Your BallDuty username (as displayed at the close of the contest period)
- Your BallDuty Account ID (your BD number, visible in your profile)
- The email address registered to your BallDuty account
- Your full legal name and country of residence
For the league prize, both the league creator/admin and the league’s top-scoring player must submit separate claims via ballduty.com/claim, each including the above details plus the name of the qualifying league.
8. Winner Verification
BallDuty reserves the right to verify the identity and eligibility of any claimant before paying a prize. Verification is conducted at BallDuty’s sole discretion and may include any combination of account and identity checks BallDuty deems necessary to confirm the legitimacy of a claim, including questions about account activity during the contest period.
Failure to satisfy verification requirements within a reasonable timeframe will result in forfeiture of the prize. Forfeited prizes will be passed to the next most eligible player for each contest type.
BallDuty’s verification decisions are final.
Note on usernames: Usernames are accepted as a reference identifier only. BallDuty maintains full account records independent of username. Username changes are not permitted after the close of the contest period.
9. Prize Payment
Prizes are paid in USD via PayPal, Wise, or bank transfer, subject to the winner’s location. BallDuty is not responsible for currency conversion fees, bank charges, or delays imposed by payment providers.
Winners are solely responsible for any taxes, duties, or levies applicable to prize receipt in their country of residence. BallDuty makes no representations regarding the tax treatment of prizes.
10. Privacy
Personal information collected for prize payment purposes will be used solely to administer and pay the prize. It will not be used for marketing and will be deleted once payment is confirmed. BallDuty’s full Privacy Policy is available at ballduty.com/privacy.
11. Platform Disclaimers
This contest is not sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Reddit, X (Twitter), Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, or any other social media platform. Any questions or issues must be directed to BallDuty via ballduty.com/support, not to any platform. By participating, entrants release each platform from any liability in connection with this contest.
12. General Conditions
- BallDuty reserves the right to cancel or suspend the contest solely in the event of fraud, technical failure, or circumstances genuinely beyond BallDuty’s reasonable control that materially affect the integrity of the contest. Financial considerations are not grounds for cancellation. Where a winner has already been determined at the time of any cancellation, that prize will still be paid.
- BallDuty may amend these rules where reasonably necessary — for example to clarify wording, correct errors, reflect the prize tier in effect, or respond to operational or legal requirements. Any amendment will be made in good faith and will not retroactively reduce a prize for which a winner has already been determined. Material changes will be published on this page with an updated revision date.
- BallDuty’s decisions on all matters relating to the contest are final and binding.
- All dates and times are stated in Eastern Time (ET).
- These rules are governed by the laws of Australia.
T&Cs apply. 18+ only. Void where prohibited. BallDuty Football ‘26 is operated by BallDuty Pty Ltd, Australia.
Badge of Honour
The best predictors don’t just win — they show us how they did it.
Topping the BallDuty leaderboard isn’t luck. It’s a read on the game that almost nobody else had. So being a BallDuty champion comes with two things: the recognition you earned, and the invitation to put your winning strategy on the record.
After the tournament, we sit down with our top finishers for a short Winning Strategy interview — how you read the matches, the calls you’re proudest of, and the thinking behind your biggest-scoring predictions. It’s the heart of what BallDuty is about: skill, shared. For your time and your insight, we pay you.
This is part of being a champion, not an add-on. We ask every top finisher to take part — whether that’s a short conversation with us or your strategy written in your own words.
Some insight carries further than others. A few well-chosen lines are valued one way; a recorded conversation, where the strategy comes alive in your own voice, is valued more generously still. The richer the contribution you’re willing to make, the more there is to recognise it — the specifics are something we settle with each finisher directly.
You decide how visible you are. Share your strategy in writing and you stay behind your BallDuty screen name — full anonymity, no personal details. Step into a video interview and you step into the spotlight: you’ll appear in your own voice, and may go by your first name. That choice is entirely yours, and you control how much of yourself you bring to it. We’ll never publish anything you haven’t agreed to share.
To claim your prize, submit a claim via ballduty.com/claim within 30 days of the winner announcement.