Clark's World Cup TippingThe Rules
Tipping Our Way Into History — now in its 20th year.
Tipping & scoring
During the group stages you predict the score for each match.
- Correct score → 3 points
- Correct result (win, lose or draw) → 1 point
- Otherwise → 0 points
Example: you tip Mexico to beat South Africa 3–1.
- Mexico win 2–0 → 1 point (right result)
- Mexico win 3–1 → 3 points (exact score)
- Draw, or Mexico lose, or South Africa win 3–1 → 0 points
Deadlines
Each match locks 4 hours before kickoff. Up until then you can enter and change your tip as often as you like; once it locks, it's final and can't be changed by anyone. You can tip match by match as the tournament unfolds; no one will chase you for tips.
Format
At the end of the group stage, the top 48 advance to Round 2 — everyone from 49th down is knocked out. Group-stage scores are then wiped and replaced by a seed based on your finishing block:
- 1st–10th → start on 4 points
- 11th–20th → 3 points
- 21st–30th → 2 points
- 31st–40th → 1 point
- 41st–48th → 0 points
Your group-stage total is kept only as a tiebreaker. From there you accumulate points on the RO32 ladder.
After the Round of 32 the cut repeats: the top 32 carry on to the Round of 16 — 33rd and below are knocked out (ties at the cut all advance). No re-seeding this time: everyone takes their full RO32 score with them, and Round of 16 tips simply add to it. If tippers are level, ties break on exact scores first, then your group-stage (GS) score as the final decider — it’s shown next to every name on the knockout ladder. Anyone still level after that shares the position. The same pattern continues round by round to the Final. Tipmaster Clark runs these later rounds.
Knockout scoring (RO32, RO16 and beyond)
In the knockouts, tips are judged on the score at the end of extra time (120 minutes) — shootouts don't count so draws can be tipped. Same points as the group stage: 3 for an exact score, 1 for the right result. Next round's fixtures open for tipping as soon as they're known — check the Bracket to see the road to the Final.
Finals
At the conclusion of the Round of 16 there is another elimination of the bottom 16, taking just 16 into the Quarter Finals. Scores reset and seedings apply: 3 points to the top 4, 2 to 5th–8th, 1 to 9th–12th and 0 to 13th–16th. And that is it till the Final — from there scores carry through, with the field halved after each round (top 8 after the Quarter Finals, the final four after the Semis). Our four finalists tip the 3rd-place game and the Final: double points for the Final (6 exact / 2 result), and our winner is announced. Ties at any cut all advance; level scores split by most exacts in the round, then group-stage (GS) score.
The Total Points Ladder tracks raw points across the whole cup — the trophy is decided on the Finals Ladder.
Payment
Entry is $30, due before the first game.
Or bank transfer to Clark Randerson, BSB 063143, Acc 10527838 — put your name in the subject and let Clark know. Previous winners enter free.