How to run a football prediction league
Running a prediction league used to mean a shared spreadsheet, chasing everyone for their picks, and working out the points by hand every week. Here's how to do it properly — and how to skip all of that.
The short version: agree the scoring, get everyone predicting before kickoff, and let something automate the results. Here's the detail.
1. Pick a scoring system
The most popular system rewards accuracy without being harsh: 3 points for the exact scoreline, 1 point for the correct result. It keeps the table competitive and stops one big week running away with the whole season.
Decide up front and write it down so there are no arguments later.
2. Lock predictions at kickoff
Predictions must be in before a match starts — otherwise people 'predict' after the goals go in. The cleanest way is an automatic kickoff lock so nobody can edit once the whistle's gone.
3. Automate the results and the table
This is the bit that kills most leagues by October. Pulling in results and updating a table by hand every week is a chore. Use something that ingests the real results and scores everyone automatically.
Predixa does all three for you: set your scoring, share a link so everyone predicts before kickoff, and results are pulled in and scored automatically into a live table. Free to set up in 30 seconds — no app download, just share the link with your group and everyone predicts from their phone.