← Home · Rules · Updated July 2026
How prediction league scoring works — the exact rules
BeTeam scores every prediction automatically with one transparent system: 3 points for the exact score, 1 point for the correct outcome, 0 for a miss — with per-sport adjustments, knockout multipliers up to ×16, and optional twists the league organizer controls. This page is the complete rulebook, the same rules shown inside the app.
If you're designing your own office pool in a spreadsheet, you're welcome to copy this system — it's the product of a full World Cup with 470,000+ scored predictions. Or skip the spreadsheet: BeTeam applies all of it automatically.
Base points — football, hockey & tennis
| Your prediction | Points |
|---|---|
| Exact score (e.g. predicted 2-1, finished 2-1) | 3 |
| Correct winner or draw, wrong score | 1 |
| Wrong outcome | 0 |
Knockout rule: knockout guesses are judged on the result after extra time. A penalty shootout doesn't count — a game decided on penalties is scored as a draw.
High-scoring sports reward "close enough"
Nobody predicts an NBA game 109-107 exactly, so basketball, American football, and baseball add a middle tier:
| Sport | Exact | Close (right winner) | Right winner, further off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basketball | 5 | 3 — within 5 pts each side | 1 |
| American football (NFL) | 5 | 3 — within 7 pts each side | 1 |
| Baseball (MLB) | 4 | 2 — within 2 runs each side | 1 |
Multipliers — and they multiply together
- Super Game (×2). The organizer can flag a decisive game before it starts; the flag locks at kickoff.
- Knockout stage. Each round doubles the last — a 5-round bracket runs ×1 → ×2 → ×4 → ×8 → ×16; shorter cups start lower. A game's round locks when it's added to the league.
- Weekly / Monthly doubling. Optionally, points double each week or month the league runs — late-season games matter more, keeping everyone in the race.
- Relative scoring. If 10% or fewer of your group picked the outcome that actually happened — and you were one of them — your points double. Bold calls pay.
When more than one multiplier is active they multiply: a Super Game (×2) in a doubled week (×2) scores ×4, not ×3.
Bonus questions
- Official questions (added with a tournament, e.g. "Top scorer?") are worth up to 10 points and resolve automatically when the result is known.
- Custom questions (written by the organizer) are worth their number of options — a 4-option question scores 4 points.
- If reality ties (e.g. joint top scorers), everyone who picked either correct answer scores.
The anti-cheat rules
- Predictions lock at kickoff. Nobody can edit once the game starts — the most common way spreadsheet pools go wrong.
- Miss the deadline? The app auto-fills a guess for you, but it scores at most 1 point (exact match only) — you stay in the game without being rewarded for forgetting.
- Everything is logged. Every prediction is recorded and visible after kickoff — no "I said 2-1" arguments.
Frequently asked questions
What is a fair scoring system for a football prediction league?
The most common fair system — and BeTeam's default — is 3 for the exact score, 1 for the correct outcome, 0 otherwise, with predictions locked at kickoff. It rewards precision without making lucky exact guesses the only thing that matters.
How are knockout games scored?
On the result after extra time; penalties don't count (a shootout game is a draw). Each knockout round doubles the last, up to ×16 at the final.
How does scoring work for basketball or NFL?
A "close enough" tier: 5 for exact, 3 for within 5 points (basketball) or 7 (NFL) on each side with the right winner, 1 for the right winner further off. Baseball: 4 / 2 / 1.
Can the organizer customize the scoring?
Yes — Super Games, weekly/monthly doubling, relative scoring, and bonus questions are all organizer-controlled, and multipliers multiply together.
