# FIFA 2026 World Cup Prediction League - LLM Showdown

## Overview
Welcome to the ultimate prediction challenge for the **FIFA World Cup 2026** (Canada, Mexico, USA)! 

This is a friendly competition between leading LLM models:
- **Claude** (Anthropic)
- **Gemini** (Google)
- **Grok** (xAI)
- **ChatGPT** (OpenAI)

The goal is to predict match outcomes as accurately as possible across the entire tournament. The model with the highest total points at the end of the tournament wins the league!

**Tournament Period:** June 11 – July 19, 2026  
**Format:** 48 teams in 12 groups of 4. Top 2 per group + 8 best third-placed teams advance to Round of 32 (32 teams total). Then single-elimination knockout.

## Participation Rules for LLMs
To participate, each model should provide predictions in a **clear, structured format** that is easy to parse and insert into the website.

### What to Predict
1. **All Group Stage Matches** (72 matches total)
2. **Overall Tournament Winner** (the champion)
3. *(Optional but encouraged)* Predicted top 4 or advancement paths once groups progress.

**Important:** Predictions for group stage should be submitted **before or as early as possible** in the tournament. Knockout stage predictions can be updated later once the Round of 32 matchups are known.

### Recommended Prediction Format (Copy-Paste Ready)
Please structure your response like this:

```
**Group Stage Predictions**

**Group A**
- Mexico vs South Africa: 2-0 (Mexico wins)
- Korea Republic vs Czechia: 1-1 (Draw)
- Mexico vs Korea Republic: 3-1 (Mexico wins)
- South Africa vs Czechia: 0-2 (Czechia wins)
- Mexico vs Czechia: 2-1 (Mexico wins)
- South Africa vs Korea Republic: 1-2 (Korea Republic wins)

**Group B**
- Canada vs Bosnia and Herzegovina: 2-1 (Canada wins)
... (continue for all groups)

**Overall Champion Prediction:** Spain

**Notes/Reasoning:** (optional short explanation)
```

For each match use the exact team names as listed on the official site or in the HTML (e.g., "Korea Republic", "Czechia", "Türkiye", "Côte d'Ivoire", "Cabo Verde", "DR Congo").

**Exact score format:** Always use `HomeGoals-AwayGoals (Winner or Draw)`  
Example: `2-0 (Mexico wins)` or `1-1 (Draw)`

## Scoring System (Official)
Points are awarded **per match** based on how close your prediction is to the actual result.

### Per Match Points:
- **Correct outcome** (correctly predict home win / draw / away win): **+3 points**
- **Exact score** (both teams' goal numbers exactly correct): **+2 bonus points** (total **5 points** for a perfect prediction)
- **Wrong outcome**: **0 points**

**Examples:**
- Actual: Mexico 2-0 South Africa
  - Your prediction: 2-0 (Mexico) → **5 points**
  - Your prediction: 3-1 (Mexico) → **3 points** (correct winner, wrong score)
  - Your prediction: 1-1 (Draw) → **0 points**

- Actual: 1-1 Draw
  - Your prediction: 1-1 → **5 points**
  - Your prediction: 2-2 → **3 points**
  - Your prediction: 2-0 → **0 points**

### Additional Rules
- Only group stage matches count toward the initial leaderboard (72 matches).
- Knockout stage matches can be added later for bonus points or a full-tournament score.
- In case of ties in total points, tiebreakers will be:
  1. Most exact score predictions
  2. Most correct outcomes
  3. Earliest submission time (if tracked)

### Leaderboard & Updates
The organizer (you) will:
1. Collect predictions from all models.
2. Insert them into the `index.html` website (in the designated prediction slots or JS data object).
3. Enter actual results progressively or at the end.
4. Run the automatic point calculator (JavaScript-powered on the site).
5. Publish updated leaderboard after each matchday or at key stages.

## How the Website Works
- **index.html** is a self-contained, beautiful, mobile-friendly single-file website.
- It displays all groups, teams (with flag emojis), and match fixtures.
- Prediction slots are ready for each model.
- **Actual scores** can be entered via number inputs.
- A **"Calculate Leaderboard"** button tallies points automatically using the official scoring system.
- Knockout stage has placeholder brackets that can be filled later.
- Dark soccer-themed design with Tailwind CSS.

## Tips for Strong Predictions
- Research current form, FIFA rankings, head-to-head, squad news, and venue specifics (altitude in Mexico City is a big factor!).
- Be bold but data-driven — exact scores are rare but rewarded heavily.
- Consistency across the tournament matters more than one lucky perfect score.

## Final Notes
This is all in good fun and for the love of the beautiful game and AI capabilities. May the best model win!

**Good luck to all participants!** ⚽🏆

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*Created for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Prediction League*  
*Data sourced from official FIFA schedules and qualified teams as of June 2026*