Pool terms
- Cumulative score
- The participant's total points adding up all rounds since the start of the tournament.
- Exact score
- Getting the exact number of goals for each team right (e.g. you predicted 2x1 and it was 2x1). It usually gives the highest score in the system.
- Global ranking
- The standings among all platform users in the same competition. E.g. the best predictor of the 2026 Brasileirão considering all Bolão Elite users.
- Hidden predictions
- A setting in which predictions stay hidden from other participants until each match starts. The pool creator enables this option — available in any pool, at no cost.
- Invite
- A unique link generated by the admin of a private pool. Whoever receives it can join with one click (even without an account — one is created on the spot).
- Lock time
- The time before the match starts when predictions are locked (you can no longer create or change them). The pool creator chooses between 10, 30 or 60 minutes.
- Pool
- A competition among friends where each participant tries to guess the results of matches in a tournament. On Bolão Elite, it is the basic unit of the platform — you create or join pools to compete.
- Pool admin
- The user who created the pool. They can edit rules, remove problematic participants and close the pool.
- Pool ranking
- The standings of the participants of a specific pool, ordered by cumulative score (from highest to lowest).
- Prediction
- The score you believe will happen in a specific match. On Bolão Elite, you always predict the exact score (e.g. 2x1). The scoring is calculated by comparing your prediction with the official result.
- Private pool
- A closed pool that only participants invited by the creator via link can join. Ideal for a group of friends, family or coworkers.
- Prize
- An occasional reward given to the top finishers of a pool. On Bolão Elite, when it exists, it follows the promotional contest format — with no charge to take part.
- Promotional contest
- A format provided for in Brazilian Law 5,768/71 and Decree 70,951/72, in which there may be a symbolic prize (e.g. Pix for the top 3) without amounting to money gambling, as long as participation is free and the result depends on skill. Public pools on Bolão Elite may operate in this format.
- Public pool
- A pool open to any user of the platform, with no invite needed. Public pools are created by the Bolão Elite team — anyone (free or Premium) can take part freely.
- Round
- A set of matches in a tournament that take place in one week (or an interval defined by the tournament). The score is usually shown both per round and cumulatively.
- Rule A (Simple)
- A scoring rule where only the exact score earns a point: got the score = 1 point, anything else = 0 points. Ideal for groups that want a pure challenge.
- Rule B (Intermediate)
- The most popular scoring rule: exact score = 3 points, getting only the winner or draw right = 1 point, wrong = 0 points.
- Rule C (Advanced)
- A granular rule: exact score = 10 points, correct winner or draw = 5 points, correct number of goals for one of the teams = 2 points, all wrong = 0 points.
Football terms
- Aggregate
- The sum of the scores of two matches (first leg and second leg) between the same teams. Whoever has the higher aggregate advances.
- Away goal
- A tiebreaker in two-legged ties — in case of an aggregate draw, the team that scored more goals as the visitor wins. Several competitions have removed this rule recently.
- Extra time
- An extra 30 minutes (two 15-minute halves) played after a draw in knockout matches. If it stays tied, it goes to a penalty shootout.
- Goal difference
- The difference between goals scored and goals conceded. Used as a tiebreaker in round-robin standings.
- Group stage
- A stage in which teams are divided into small groups (3 to 6 teams). Each one plays against all the others in the group, and the best advance to the knockout stage.
- Hat-trick
- When the same player scores 3 goals in a single match.
- Knockout stage
- A stage of a tournament in which the losing team is eliminated immediately. It usually comes after the group stage and may have two-legged ties or a single match.
- Own goal
- When a player scores against their own goal. The goal goes to the opposing team, but the scorer is the defender themselves.
- Penalty shootout
- The final decider in knockout matches that end in a draw. Each team takes 5 alternating penalties; if the draw persists, it goes to sudden death (one for one).
- Poker (four goals)
- Four goals by the same player in a match. Rarer than a hat-trick.
- Qualification ruling
- In group stages with the advancement of the "best third-placed teams" (as in the 2026 World Cup), the official criterion that determines which third-placed teams from different groups advance to the knockout stage.
- Round-robin (league)
- A system in which all teams play against all the others, home and away (or just once). The champion is whoever has the most points at the end. It is the format of the Brasileirão Série A.
- Seed
- The best-ranked team in a draw for a group stage or knockout, ensuring it does not face other teams of the same strength early on.
- Tiebreaker
- The rule used when two teams tie on points. Typical order: number of wins, goal difference, goals scored, head-to-head, cards.
- VAR
- Video Assistant Referee — a video refereeing system introduced by FIFA in 2018. It checks goals, penalties, red cards and mistaken identities.
- WO (WxO)
- A win by the opponent's absence (Walk Over). It happens when one of the teams does not show up for the match. The official score is usually 3x0 or 1x0 depending on the regulations.
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