World Cup 2026 · Predictor
Pick the two teams you think escaped each of the 12 groups. As you tap, Bawler reveals its own picks (drawn from 10,000 simulations of the tournament) so you can see exactly where your bracket disagreed with the model. The group stage is now complete, so it doubles as a way to check both reads against how it actually played out. No sign-up, picks save in your browser, share your score at the end.
The 2026 World Cup is the first 48-team edition: 12 groups of four, top two of each group plus the eight best third-placed teams advanced to a round of 32. This predictor handles the top-two pick for each group — the part where the model has the cleanest read. Now that the group stage has been played, it doubles as a way to check your pre-tournament read against what actually happened.
Bawler's picks come from a tournament-level simulation: every group match is forecast by our model (national-team strength anchored on FIFA rankings), the bracket is then played out 10,000 times, and the two teams that escape most often are the "Bawler picks" you see when you tap a team. Read the full method on the tournament forecast page.