FIFA 2018 World Cup Bracket Challenge June 7, 2018 12:50 PM   Subscribe

I've taken the liberty to set up a MetaFilter league on FIFA's Bracket Challenge site. The access code is already in the URL but here it is just in case you need to enter it somewhere: fbb6aa22. In order to join you need to set up a free account with FIFA. You'll need an email address for this but don't have to give them anything else. I just left stuff like the "Real Name" fields empty. Alternatively I think you can also sign up using Facebook or Google accounts. Because I signed up for some other leagues first my user name is KPax23. Let's see whose psychic prediction powers reign supreme!

I apologize in advance for my home country Germany winning it again this year. Deutschland vor!
posted by Hairy Lobster to MetaFilter-Related at 12:50 PM (31 comments total) 4 users marked this as a favorite

Err, that should be "World Cup" not "Word Cup". Though a word cup might be fun too. Have requested fixing of this typo.
posted by Hairy Lobster at 12:55 PM on June 7, 2018 [1 favorite]


I have whirled the spelling.
posted by cortex (staff) at 12:57 PM on June 7, 2018 [3 favorites]


Thank you!
posted by Hairy Lobster at 12:59 PM on June 7, 2018


Ok, but - anyone here have a psychic octopus? Just asking for a friend.

Who’s a squid.

nunc.

kid.
posted by the quidnunc kid at 1:11 PM on June 7, 2018 [4 favorites]


I'm in as hobgadling :)
posted by hobgadling at 1:12 PM on June 7, 2018 [1 favorite]


MetaFizz has been born. Let's see how WRONG all my predictions are. I'm always terrible at these types of things.
posted by Fizz at 2:04 PM on June 7, 2018 [1 favorite]


I'm awful at this, and my "home team" (Italy) didn't even make it into the games, so I just went with my whims.
posted by Superplin at 9:55 PM on June 7, 2018 [2 favorites]


I have a FIFA log in! ( my kids are nuts about soccer stats). I have a Cinderella team that’s going all the way!

it’s not iceland
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 10:04 PM on June 7, 2018 [1 favorite]


Tried to join, but "something was wrong". Manager likely fired before he started. Will try again later.
posted by arcticseal at 11:48 PM on June 7, 2018


I created a bracket, joined the league. I put absolutely no thought into the bracket, just going with my gut feeling each time. It was only at the end that I saw that I couldn’t change anything after joining the league. This will probably end badly for me. At least I didn’t spend much time on it :-)
posted by Kattullus at 1:17 AM on June 8, 2018


Is it not possible to see others’ brackets?
posted by Kattullus at 4:00 AM on June 8, 2018 [2 favorites]


Kattullus, I'm not sure. I'm hoping that will change when the games kick off.
posted by Hairy Lobster at 8:32 AM on June 8, 2018


Oh, yeah, that's a fair warning re bracket permanence. Heed the warning at the very end. You can only change things until that point.
posted by Hairy Lobster at 8:36 AM on June 8, 2018


So it looks like right now you can at least get a shareable link to your bracket predictions like this:

1) click on the bracket menu item to see your bracket predictions
2) scroll to the bottom of the page
3) click on one of the "share your predictions" buttons (Twitter or email works best for this)
4) copy the link it provides in the target app or mail which should have a unique ID in it.

Here is mine.
posted by Hairy Lobster at 8:50 AM on June 8, 2018 [1 favorite]


Confusing but got through it. terrapinvt is ready even though he dislikes nationalism and national football. Club is where it's at!

Up the Arsenal!
posted by terrapin at 9:13 AM on June 8, 2018 [1 favorite]


Come on Die Mannschaft!!!
posted by josher71 at 12:43 PM on June 8, 2018 [1 favorite]


Thanks, Hairy Lobster!

Here’s my drunken impulse Vegas wedding of a bracket.
posted by Kattullus at 12:47 PM on June 8, 2018 [1 favorite]


All I know is that Germany is going to win, everything else is confusing and inconsequential.
At least to me.
I only take an interest in soccer once every four years.
It's like Pon Farr for Futbol.
posted by Major Matt Mason Dixon at 12:17 PM on June 10, 2018 [1 favorite]


Katullus with Senegal over Germany in the quarter finals. Bold!

I feel a little less out on a limb now with my prediction of Mexico taking first in Group F (A prediction I made pretty much solely because I don't want to see them face Brazil in the round of 16.
posted by 256 at 11:02 AM on June 11, 2018 [1 favorite]


Like a multiple choice test for which I did not study, here is my pick. I ace the test anyway because Germany will win.
posted by mrcrow at 9:23 PM on June 11, 2018 [1 favorite]


256: Katullus with Senegal over Germany in the quarter finals. Bold!

In every World Cup this century the reigning world champion has underperformed severely. The only sort of exception is Brazil in 2006 but they still went out in the quarterfinals to the first good team they faced. Other than that, no reigning world champion has made it out of their group since 1998 (Brazil again). I can’t claim I thought deeply about my predictions, but Germany underperforming isn’t a terribly bold call. That said, if any team can buck that trend, it’s this Germany team. Of course, I would’ve said the same about Spain last time around, and we all remember how that went, dolphin-dive header and all.
posted by Kattullus at 4:58 AM on June 12, 2018 [2 favorites]


Oh, if anyone is interested in something a bit more granular, I am also creating a team in FIFA World Cup Fantasy. It requires more effort and more micromanaging than a simple bracket, but we've done a MeFi league before, and I'll create one this year if anyone else is interested.
posted by 256 at 5:19 AM on June 12, 2018


In with a pretty conservative/boring list beyond a run for gallant little Belgium.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 5:55 AM on June 12, 2018


I've made a league for the Fantasy Team game as well. It's called MetaFilter and the League Code is NWL3KSAL
posted by 256 at 8:37 AM on June 12, 2018 [1 favorite]


Sweet! Just joined the league with my unbeatable team, the "Hairy Lobsters".
posted by Hairy Lobster at 12:16 PM on June 12, 2018


Awesome, definitely read the how-to-play tab if you haven't played before. The most important part is the substitutions. You have the choice of micromanaging or not in between game days. If you don't micromanage, the game will do some automatic substitutions for you (namely retroactively subbing out players who were benched for players who actually played). But if you do any micromanaging at all, automatic substitutions will be disabled (for that round).

You can definitely get an edge by micromanaging intelligently, but you can also really screw yourself by micromanaging incorrectly. If you are going to micromanage, you definitely want to make sure that the guys starting on your bench are the guys who are playing last (since you can't bring someone off the bench once they've already played their game for the round).
posted by 256 at 12:36 PM on June 12, 2018


Yeah, so I have never played fantasy league type stuff before and I'mf fully prepared to epically crash and burn. Thanks for the tips. I'll try my best! :P
posted by Hairy Lobster at 7:51 PM on June 12, 2018




I see you're sensibly predicting England to not even make it to the Quarter Finals. I can dream...I have them getting knocked out in the QF by Germany as usual.
posted by arcticseal at 5:54 AM on June 13, 2018 [2 favorites]


I picked Spain...just in time for them to fire their manager before the games begin.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 10:39 AM on June 13, 2018 [1 favorite]


Oh, the guys in the office here in Madrid have opinions about that.
posted by arcticseal at 10:50 AM on June 13, 2018 [1 favorite]


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