Why the bracket waits.
With four best third-placed teams going through, the round of 16 line-up is not complete until every pool is done. That is why a bracket cannot be filled in early, and why the pool stage is run as tipping instead.
Rugby World Cup 2027
Twenty-four teams, 52 matches and the first round of 16 in the tournament's history, from 1 October to 13 November 2027. Run a Rugby World Cup tipping competition for the pools and a bracket challenge for the knockouts, under your own logo, colours and leaderboard.
Free to start. No credit card.
Set up a tipping competition and add the 36 pool matches by hand or by CSV. The CSV takes a time zone per match, which helps when kick-offs run from Perth to Sydney. Your people tip each match before its lock time, and you confirm each result when the match ends.
Jokers, margin prediction and the perfect round bonus work on a custom competition. Margins suit rugby well, because the gap between the sides is part of the story.
The four best third-placed teams fill the last slots, so no bracket can exist before the pool stage ends on 17 October. Once the round of 16 is set, our team builds the 16-team bracket from the official pairings. Lock it before the first round of 16 match.
Everyone picks the team that goes through in every round, from the round of 16 to the final. Our team records each result as the match ends and every bracket is rescored. The bronze final sits outside the bracket.
A 24-team tournament with third-placed qualifiers does not behave like a simple knockout. These are the choices that matter.
With four best third-placed teams going through, the round of 16 line-up is not complete until every pool is done. That is why a bracket cannot be filled in early, and why the pool stage is run as tipping instead.
Tipping and brackets are separate competitions in the same hub. You can keep the tipping leaderboard running through the knockouts as well, and let the bracket decide a separate winner.
One point times the round number, so 1 for a round of 16 pick and 4 for the final, plus 10 for the right champion. A perfect 16-team bracket scores 36. The weighting is the same for every Fanzava bracket and there is no upset bonus.
One per person is the default and keeps the conversation simple. You can allow up to five, and a person's best bracket is the one that counts. Ask for the limit when you arrange the bracket.
An audience in Europe sees very different kick-off hours from one in Australia. Put the lock time in the rules and in the invite, because a lock that looks reasonable in Perth can be the middle of the night elsewhere.
The tournament fits a single competition window. Tipping carries the pools and a bracket carries the knockouts, so your people have a reason to check in on all six weeks.
The bracket opens in the same hub, with the same participants and their own leaderboard. You ask for it once the round of 16 is set.
Paid plans and a Bracket Pass ship full white label. Pro and above add a custom domain and a custom email sender, so reminders and recaps come from you.
Entry is free and Fanzava never handles entry money. People make predictions and a leaderboard ranks them.
Brackets start above the Free plan. Run them on Starter or higher, or pay once for a Bracket Pass that covers a single knockout event with no subscription. Included: Full white label · Fanzava watermark removed · Brackets.
All prices in Australian dollars, inclusive of GST. See Bracket Pass →
Free to start. No credit card.
Want the bracket format explained first? See how brackets work →