UCL Pool 2025/26 Rules
Overview
This is the prediction competition to win prizes in the annual Bitcointalk UEFA Champions League prediction pool.
Each participant has to make predictions on UCL matches by submitting responses to two sections of questions.
- The first section deals with predicting the score of each match at full-time. Points will be awarded based on how close the predicted scores are to the official scores at full-time.
- The second section involves predictions on several outcomes during a match. Players allocate stakes to their chosen outcomes, winning points based on the odds or probability of the outcome.
A round is called a Matchday, and the winner of each round wins freebets. Points won every Matchday are accumulated on the Leaderboard. The top players on the Leaderboard at the end of the competition win cash prizes.
Setup and Options
- Each paying player is given a secret link to register their username and BTC wallet address.
- After registering, they will receive a PIN to access the prediction area each Matchday.
- All player details can be edited at any time.
- All selections can be edited up until the deadline of each Matchday.
Rules for Score Predictions
Each Matchday, all players must predict the Full-Time (90 mins regular time + added/stoppage time; NOT Extra Time) scores for every match for that Matchday.
Base points
- Exact score: 4 points
Player predicts the exact score.
- Close score: 2 points
- Player predicts correct 1x2, but is off by 1 goal.
- Player predicts correct 1x2 and goal difference, but is off by 2 goals.
- Correct score: 1 point
Player predicts correct 1x2 and doesn’t meet Close score requirements.
Bonus points
- Upset: 1 to 1.5 points
- If the 1x2 outcome odds is 3x to 4.99x: 1 point
- If the 1x2 outcome odds is 5x or more: 1.5 points
- Maverick: 1 to 2 points
- If your score is only picked by 10% or less of players: 1 point
- If your score is only picked by 5% or less of players: 1.5 points
- If your score is Close/Exact AND the only one picked in the pool: 2 points
Rules for Outcome Predictions
Each Matchday, all participants will be assigned 6 stakes. Think of this as your bankroll to bet on football.
- You are free to assign these 6 stakes to any outcome available in the Matchday.
- A maximum of 3 stakes can be placed per outcome.
- You can save a maximum of 1 stake per Matchday. This will carry over to the next Matchday as a Saved Stake. You can store up to 3 Saved Stakes.
- Any unused Stakes that cannot be saved will be lost. Saved and Unused stakes at the end of the Final Matchday will be lost.
- Points are won if the correct outcome is selected:
Stake × Odds = points won.
Total Points and Penalties
- Points gained from Match Score Predictions and Outcome Predictions are added to a player’s Total. The Total is cumulative for all Matchdays.
- Any player with 0 points won from Outcome Predictions after a single Matchday will incur a 5% penalty to their current Total.
This penalty is cumulative, that is, every Matchday with 0 points from Outcome Predictions adds a 5% penalty on top of existing penalties, if any.
- There is no penalty for 0 points from Match Score Predictions.
Other Rules
- All outcomes are for Full Time (90 minutes regular time + added/stoppage time; NOT Extra Time) unless otherwise specified.
- Score predictions and points staked on postponed/abandoned matches will remain in play until official UEFA results are announced. Matchday winners will only be finalised once all games during that Matchday are resolved.
- Matchday Tiebreaker rules:
- Player with earliest submission.
- Leaderboard Tiebreaker rules:
- Player with highest-scoring Matchday
- Player with most Matchday wins
- Player with earliest submission on Final Matchday
- Organisers reserve the right to determine all other ambiguities or decisions.
Provisional Matchdays
- Matchdays 1-8: League Phase games. 16 games each.
- Matchday 9: KO Phase Play-off first legs. 8 games
- Matchday 10: KO Phase Play-off second legs. 8 games
- Matchday 11: Last 16 first legs. 8 games
- Matchday 12: Last 16 second leg. 8 games
- Matchday 13: QF first legs. 4 games
- Matchday 14: QF second legs. 4 games
- Matchday 15: SF first leg. 2 games
- Matchday 16: SF second leg. 2 games
- Matchday 17: Final. 1 game