The rules of a prediction league with friends
Updated on · By Jules, WebProMax editorial team
A prediction group is played by a handful of people in a chat, and it falls apart for the same three reasons every time: a scoring system argued over after the fact, a prediction sent late, a leaderboard nobody keeps up to date. Here are rules that hold together, to copy as they are or adapt.
Which scoring system should you use?
- Exact score: 3 points.
- Right result (win, draw, defeat) without the exact score: 1 point.
- Nothing otherwise. No negative points: a penalty discourages more than it motivates.
- Match not predicted: 0 points, with no extra penalty.
This is the scoring Koorami applies by default: it is shown in every group, and article 3 of the terms of use sets out its framework.
For the knockout stages, a multiplier (for example ×2 in the final) rewards those who stay the course. Announce it from the start.
Until when can you predict?
Entries close at kick-off, not “before the match”. It is the most important rule and the only one that prevents disputes: nobody predicts while looking at the line-ups, let alone the first half.
Corollary: other people’s predictions only become visible once the match is locked. Otherwise the last to play copies the first.
What about a postponed, cancelled or abandoned match?
- Postponed: predictions stay valid, and entries reopen until the new kick-off.
- Cancelled: the match is removed from the league and no points are awarded.
- Abandoned then replayed: the official ratified result counts, not the score at the moment of the stoppage.
Do extra time and penalty shoot-outs count?
The simplest and most common convention: you predict the score at the end of regular time. Extra time and penalty shoot-outs do not count towards the predicted score. Put it in black and white, as it is the number one source of disputes in knockout stages.
How do you separate two players who are level?
If points are level, separate them in this order: number of exact scores found, then number of matches predicted. If they are still level, the win is shared. That is healthier than a criterion invented at the last minute.
How do you correct a wrong result?
If a result was entered wrongly, it must be possible to correct it and recalculate the whole leaderboard, not patch it by hand on a single line. A leaderboard that keeps the trace of a corrected error is no longer a leaderboard.
Why is this league not a bet?
A league between friends is played with no financial stake. No pot, no entry fee: that is what separates it from sports betting, with all the obligations that entails. The prize, if there is one, is agreed between you and is not bought with the entries.
With Koorami
Koorami applies these rules by default: locking at kick-off on the server side, other people’s predictions hidden until then, points fully recalculated after every correction, and a leaderboard you can share as an image in your chat. The invitation link is shared as it is, without anyone having to create anything.