This is a charity survivor pool tied to the 2026 FIFA World Cup (June 11 – July 19, 2026). Pick teams round by round; survive every round to win the pot. Last entry standing takes 1st place.

Net prize pool = $40 per entry (after the $10 charity carve-out from each $50 buy-in). Charity beneficiary will be announced at launch.

• Buy-in: $50 per entry. $10 of every entry goes to charity; the remaining $40 enters the prize pool.
• Per-person cap: up to 5 entries per person.
• Sign-up window: open now through June 10, 2026 at 11:59 PM CDT.
• Payment: Venmo, Zelle, or PayPal — details appear after you sign up.

Before kickoff of the first match, every entry chooses 4 teams they believe will advance out of group play. 32 teams advance from the group stage (top 2 from each of 12 groups + 8 best 3rd-place finishers).

All 4 of your group picks must advance. If even one of the four fails to make the knockout round, your entry is eliminated.

• Group-stage pick deadline: 10 minutes before the opening match (June 11, 2026).
• You may edit your 4-team selection any time before the deadline.
• After the deadline, all entries' group picks become publicly visible on the standings page.

Each surviving entry picks 1 team per round (Round of 32, Round of 16, Quarter-finals, Semi-finals, Final). If your pick wins their match — in regulation, extra time, or penalty kicks — your entry survives to the next round.

Single-use rule: Once you've picked a team in any round (group or knockout), you can't pick that team again. Your 4 group-stage picks count as used before knockout begins, so you'll need 5 additional distinct teams to win the tournament.

• Round deadlines: 10 minutes before the first match of each round.
• After each round's deadline, that round's picks become publicly visible.
• Missed deadline (no pick) = elimination. Same if you can't make a valid pick because every surviving team is already used by you.

If your entry is eliminated in the group stage or in the Round of 32, you may rebuy once for $50. The rebuy window closes when Round of 16 picks lock.

• Each entry gets exactly one rebuy. If the rebuy entry is also eliminated, that's it.
• Used teams carry over. Any team your original entry picked that's still alive in the tournament remains "used" for the rebuy entry. Practically: a group-stage rebuy carries forward whichever of your 4 group picks advanced; an R32 rebuy carries all 4 group picks (since they all advanced for you to reach R32).
• The rebuy picks up at the round after the one in which the original was eliminated.
• Rebuys grow the pot, not the payout structure. A rebuy's $40 goes into the prize pool like any other entry — but rebuys do not count toward the entry total used to select the payout tier (see Winner & Payouts). The tier is set by original signups only, so second chances can't shift the pool from a 3-place structure into a 4-place one (or a 4-place into 5-place).

Placement is determined by which round you were eliminated in. The last entry standing is 1st; the next-to-last is 2nd; and so on — placements run in reverse order of elimination, whatever round those eliminations happen in. Multiple entries eliminated in the same round tie.

Payout tiers (percentage of the net prize pool). "Entries" in the table below means the number of original signups — rebuys contribute cash to the pot but don't count toward the tier. So a pool that starts with 26 originals stays a 3-place payout even if rebuys push total signups past 30.

Entries	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th
Up to 14	70%	30%	—	—	—
15 – 29	60%	30%	10%	—	—
30 – 59	50%	25%	15%	10%	—
60+	40%	25%	15%	12%	8%

Tie handling: when multiple entries are eliminated in the same round, sum the percentages for the placements they collectively occupy and divide equally. Example: 60 entries, 3 entries reach the final and all lose → they tie for 1st and split (40% + 25% + 15%) / 3 = 26.67% each; 4th- and 5th-place finishers still receive 12% and 8%.

• You receive a unique pick URL when you sign up. Use it to set or update your picks. Don't share it.
• Picks remain private until the round's deadline. Once the round locks, everyone can see everyone else's picks for that round.
• Disputes are settled by the commissioner. The commissioner's interpretation of these rules is final.
• Any questions or issues with anything, email me at [email protected].