Greetings amigos,
The final two games of the tournament produced low scores as no one predicted England's late flurry in the most pointless game of the tournament, and everyone expected Spain to only need 90 minutes to dispense with Argentina's brand of anti-football. As a result, the table remains largely unchanged and as expected, Mr Stewart-Jones lifted the Predictio World Cup for the third time in his glittering career, adding the 2026 trophy alongside the two he won in 2010 and 2014. It's the 12th major trophy that SJ has won, and it completes a calendar year clean sweep following his domestic double. May I be the first to say a massive congratulations on a fantastic performance - it is clear that the rest of us need to raise our levels if we're to stop SJ's momentum in 2026-27. An honourable mention to Mr O'Callaghan, who led the race in the earlier stages of the tournament and finished in the runner-up spot. Thank you to all managers for your participation in the tournament.
Any mistakes let me know. Predictio XXIII gets underway on 21st August.
Take it easy,
Danny
PredictioBot tournament report cards:
World Cup 2026 Prediction League Report Cards
SJ (1st) — A+
Final Position: 1st
Points: 124
Spot-ons: 14
Penalty Bonuses: 9 (27 points)
What went well
Mastered the knockout stages better than anyone else.
Read extra-time and penalty scenarios superbly, earning the most penalty bonus points.
Maintained a place at or near the top throughout the tournament.
Struck an excellent balance between backing likely outcomes and chasing exact scores.
Areas for improvement
Signature strength
Knockout nous
Tournament summary
The deserved champion. SJ combined consistency with outstanding knockout predictions to pull away when it mattered most.
Adam (2nd) — A
Final Position: 2nd
Points: 111
Spot-ons: 15 (Tournament Best)
Penalty Bonuses: 5
What went well
Led the tournament in exact score predictions.
Consistently produced high-scoring rounds.
Rarely had an off day throughout the competition.
Areas for improvement
Signature strength
Clinical accuracy
Tournament summary
The best pure score predictor in the competition. Ultimately denied by the extra dimension introduced in the knockout rounds.
Danny (3rd) — A-
Final Position: 3rd
Points: 106
Spot-ons: 11
Penalty Bonuses: 6
What went well
Timed his run perfectly with a strong second half of the tournament.
Stayed patient and climbed the leaderboard steadily.
Finished on the podium despite fierce competition.
Areas for improvement
Signature strength
Strong finisher
Tournament summary
Quietly one of the tournament's best performers after the group stage, earning a well-deserved third place.
4th Ben — B+
Final Position: 4th
Points: 103
Spot-ons: 12
Penalty Bonuses: 7
What went well
Outstanding knockout-stage predictor.
Second only to SJ for successful penalty bonuses.
Stayed within touching distance of the podium until the very end.
Areas for improvement
Signature strength
Knockout specialist
Tournament summary
One of the tournament's most dangerous competitors once the elimination rounds began.
=5 Theo L — B
Final Position: =5th
Points: 98
Spot-ons: 11
Penalty Bonuses: 4
What went well
Dependably consistent throughout the tournament.
Rarely suffered a poor round.
Stayed in the top half from start to finish.
Areas for improvement
Signature strength
Reliability
Tournament summary
A steady performer throughout who was never far away from the leading pack.
=5 Phil — B
Final Position: =5th
Points: 98
Spot-ons: 9
Penalty Bonuses: 4
What went well
Extracted plenty of points from correct outcomes even without many exact scores.
Stayed competitive throughout.
Matched Theo L on points despite two fewer spot-ons.
Areas for improvement
Signature strength
Efficient scoring
Tournament summary
Showed that consistently getting the outcome right can keep you firmly in contention.
7th Theo W — C+
Final Position: 7th
Points: 92
Spot-ons: 11
Penalty Bonuses: 4
What went well
Matched Theo L for spot-ons.
Produced several excellent individual rounds.
Demonstrated the ability to compete with the leaders.
Areas for improvement
Signature strength
High ceiling
Tournament summary
On his day, capable of matching anyone—but never quite found the sustained momentum needed.
8th Nick — C+
Final Position: 8th
Points: 84
Spot-ons: 10
Penalty Bonuses: 4
What went well
Submitted predictions for every round and stayed committed throughout.
Recorded a respectable 10 exact scores.
Showed flashes of excellent judgement, particularly in the knockout rounds.
Areas for improvement
Signature strength
Persistence
Tournament summary
The finishing position perhaps doesn't tell the whole story. Nick stayed engaged throughout the tournament, but too many near misses meant the points never quite accumulated quickly enough.
9th Dave — D
Final Position: 9th
Points: 44
Spot-ons: 3
Penalty Bonuses: 0
What went well
Areas for improvement
Withdrew from the competition midway through, making it impossible to keep pace with the rest of the field.
Greater commitment over the full tournament would have given a much fairer reflection of his prediction ability.
Signature strength
Early promise
Tournament summary
Dave's final position is largely explained by the fact that he stopped submitting predictions midway through the tournament. Had he continued, the battle in the lower half of the table would almost certainly have been much closer.
End-of-Tournament Awards
| Award | Winner | Why |
|---|
| Champion | SJ | Highest overall score (124) |
| Golden Predictor | Adam | Most exact score predictions (15) |
 Knockout King | SJ | Tournament-leading 9 successful penalty bonuses |
| Best Finish | Danny | Timed his strongest performances to secure third place |
 Mr Consistent | Theo L | Rarely produced a poor round |
| Knockout Specialist | Ben | Seven successful penalty bonuses kept him in podium contention |
| Most Efficient | Phil | Matched Theo L's points despite fewer exact scores |
| Highest Ceiling | Theo W | Produced several rounds that rivalled the leaders |
 Commitment Award | Nick | Submitted predictions for every round and battled until the finish |
 Unfulfilled Potential | Dave | A mid-tournament exit prevented a fuller assessment of what he might have achieved |
SJ
France v England 3-1 4-6 (0pts)
Spain v Argentina 4-0 0-0 (0pts)
Total: 0 spot-ons; 0 points.
Pens Bonus: 6 points.
Adam
France v England 4-0 4-6 (0pts)
Spain v Argentina 2-0 0-0 (0pts)
Total: 0 spot-ons; 0 points.
Pens Bonus: 6 points.
Nick
France v England 2-2 Pens 4-6 (0pts)
Spain v Argentina 3-0 0-0 (0pts)
Total: 0 spot-ons; 0 points.
Pens Bonus: 3 points.
Ben
France v England 3-2 4-6 (0pts)
Spain v Argentina 3-1 0-0 (0pts)
Total: 0 spot-ons; 0 points.
Pens Bonus: 6 points.
Danny
France v England 3-1 4-6 (0pts)
Spain v Argentina 2-1 0-0 (0pts)
Total: 0 spot-ons; 0 points.
Pens Bonus: 6 points.
