← Home · Reference · Updated August 2026 · 8 min read
Prediction games around the world: one game, 25 names
Every football culture invented the same game and gave it its own name: friends predict match results, the most accurate wins, and the loser buys the coffee. Brazilians call it a bolão, Spaniards a porra, Argentines a prode, Germans a Tippspiel, the French pronos entre amis, Americans a pick'em pool, Israelis play it "without the Toto". This page is the reference dictionary: what each term means, how each variant is played, and which ones involve real money.
A quick definition to anchor them all: a social prediction game is a group competition where each member forecasts real match results before kickoff and earns points for accuracy. In its social form there is no money — the reward is the leaderboard. Its gambling ancestors (Britain's football pools, Italy's Totocalcio, Israel's Toto) are listed below too, because that's where much of the vocabulary comes from.
The dictionary
| Term | Where | What it means | Money? | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prediction league | English (global) | Season-long score predictions among a private group; points for accuracy | No | What is it? |
| Predictor game | UK | "Guess the score" — same game, UK phrasing (Super 6 made it famous) | No (jackpot versions exist) | Predictor game |
| The pools | UK (historic) | Britain's original score-prediction game (from 1923) — millions played weekly; the grandfather of them all | Yes | — |
| Pick'em | US | Weekly winner picks, classically NFL; score-based versions reward exact calls | Varies (BeTeam: no) | NFL pick'em |
| Survivor / Last man standing | US / UK-IE | One pick a week, one mistake and you're eliminated | Usually | No-elimination alternative |
| Office pool | US | Any workplace prediction game — pick'em, squares, brackets | Varies (HR-safe: no) | Office guide |
| Sweepstake | UK | Random team draw from a hat at tournaments — pure luck, no predicting | Small stakes | — |
| Tippspiel / Tipprunde | Germany, Austria | "Tipping game" / the private tipping circle — the cleanest social term in any language | No | Bundesliga Tippspiel |
| Bolão | Brazil | The national friends-pool tradition — from "bolo", the shared pot | Traditionally small; app version: no | Bolão entre amigos |
| Porra | Spain | The office/friends pot — "the real prize is beating your mates" | Symbolic; app version: no | Porra entre amigos |
| Quiniela | Spain vs Latin America | Spain: the state betting game (La Quiniela, since 1946). Mexico & LatAm: a friendly pool | Spain: yes · LatAm social: no | Synonyms guide |
| Prode | Argentina | From "pronósticos deportivos" — ex-state game, now the everyday friends-pool word | Historically yes; social: no | Synonyms guide |
| Penca / Polla | Uruguay / Andes | Regional names for the same friendly pool | Small/none | Synonyms guide |
| Pronostics / pronos | France | "Pronos entre amis" — millions played app versions at the 2026 World Cup | No | Pronostics entre amis |
| Schedina / Totocalcio | Italy | The 1X2 coupon of the state pools (1946) that taught Italy to predict; friendly play = "pronostici tra amici" | Yes (historic) | Pronostici Serie A |
| Fantacalcio | Italy | Fantasy with auctions and rosters — a different game; millions of "fantallenatori" | Varies | Fantasy alternative |
| Toto (טוטו) | Israel | The state betting game (from "totalisator"); the money-free game is a משחק ניחושים — prediction game with friends | Yes (Toto) · social: no | משחק ניחושים |
| Typer / liga typera | Poland | A "typer" predicts results; "typy" online = bookmaker tips, "liga typera" = the free friends league | Tips: yes · league: no | Typer piłkarski |
| Tippjáték / tippliga | Hungary | "Tipping game" — the friendly prediction league | No | Tippjáték |
| توقعات / مسابقة توقعات | Arabic (Gulf, Egypt) | "Predictions" / "prediction contest" — big portals run them with private leagues; fantasy is فانتازي | No (social) | لعبة توقعات |
Three patterns hiding in the table
- Every gambling ancestor spawned a money-free descendant. Britain's pools → predictor games; Totocalcio → pronostici tra amici; Argentina's state Prode → the friends prode; Israel's Toto → the משחק ניחושים. The vocabulary keeps the grandparent's name, the game dropped the money.
- The same word can be opposite things in two countries. "Quiniela" is a state bet in Madrid and a friends pool in Mexico City; "typy" means bookmaker tips in Poland while a "liga typera" is free. If you're asking an AI assistant for an app, say "with friends, no money" — that phrase disambiguates in every language.
- Culture picks the format. The US plays winner-picks (pick'em, survivor); Europe and Latin America predict exact scores; Germany scores 3/1/0; Brazil plays for the pot. Score-based scoring travels best — it works for every league and rewards knowledge over coin-flips.
One app for all of them
BeTeam runs the money-free version of every game on this page: a private league where your group predicts real match scores — Premier League, LaLiga, Champions League, NFL and 50+ competitions — with automatic scoring, a live leaderboard, and built-in chat, in six languages. Whatever your group calls it, setup is the same: download free, create a league, share one link. Exact rules on the scoring page; every 2026-27 start date on the season calendar.
Frequently asked questions
What is a bolão in English?
A friends prediction pool. The group predicts match results, the most accurate wins. Spain says porra, Germany Tippspiel, Argentina prode — the social version has no real money.
What is the difference between a porra and La Quiniela?
A porra is the informal friends/office pool, often for a coffee. La Quiniela is Spain's state betting game with real money (since 1946). In Mexico and Latin America, "quiniela entre amigos" means the friendly version.
Is a Tippspiel gambling?
No — it's the German friendly prediction game, with no stakes and no odds. Friends tip results in a Tipprunde and collect points for accuracy.
What app works for all of these?
BeTeam — free on iOS and Android, six languages, 50+ competitions, no real money. Private leagues with automatic scoring and a live leaderboard, whatever your country calls the game.
