> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.toqui.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Create a Prediction Pool and Invite Your Group

> Step-by-step guide to setting up a Toqui prediction pool — name it, pick a tournament, choose a scoring mode, and share the invite link with your group.

Creating a pool takes less than two minutes. You pick the tournament, choose how scoring works, decide who can join, and Toqui hands you a shareable link. From that point on, the app runs itself — no spreadsheets, no manual scorekeeping, no chasing people for their picks.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Create Pool screen">
    Sign in to [toqui.app](https://toqui.app) and click **Create Pool** from your dashboard. If this is your first pool, you'll land there automatically after signing up.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Name your pool">
    Type a name between 3 and 50 characters. Pick something your group will recognize — "Marketing Team WC26," "Garcia Family Pool," or anything else that makes it obvious whose pool it is.

    <Tip>
      You can rename your pool later from Pool Settings, but the shareable URL won't change — it's based on your original name.
    </Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select a tournament">
    Choose the tournament you want to run picks for. The app will load the correct match schedule, group stage, and knockout rounds automatically.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose a scoring mode">
    Select one of the three presets — **Casual**, **Escalating**, or **Cascading Bracket** — or build your own with **Custom** scoring.

    <Tip>
      Your scoring mode isn't permanent — an organizer or admin can change it (along with point values and lock timing) at any time from **Pool Settings → Scoring Rules**. It's still worth choosing thoughtfully up front: changing scoring after games have been played recalculates everyone's points and notifies members. See [Editing the rules later](/en/guides/prediction-deadlines#editing-the-rules-later).
    </Tip>

    Not sure which mode fits your group? See [Scoring modes](/en/guides/scoring-modes) for a full breakdown.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Fine-tune scoring rules and locks per stage (optional)">
    After picking a preset, you'll land on the **Scoring Rules** screen. Each stage of the tournament — group stage, Round of 32, Round of 16, and so on — has its own card with two settings:

    * **Predictions lock** — when picks for that stage close. Three options:
      * **Per match** — each match locks individually at its kickoff.
      * **Stage start** — all picks for the stage lock when the first match of that stage kicks off.
      * **Custom** — a specific date and time you choose.
    * **Scoring rules** — toggle the six rules on or off and edit point values per stage. Rules left off don't score. Cascading Bracket pools also expose a seventh rule — **Team Advancement** — on knockout-stage cards; see [Bracket pools](/en/guides/bracket-pools#team-advancement).

    Your preset choice seeds these settings sensibly — most organizers don't need to change anything. You can also come back to the Scoring Rules screen from **Pool Settings** at any time during the tournament. Changing **lock timing** never affects points, but changing **scoring** after games have been played recalculates every score and notifies members — see [Editing the rules later](/en/guides/prediction-deadlines#editing-the-rules-later).

    <Note>
      **Creating a pool after the tournament has started?** For any stage already underway, predictions lock **per match** — each game stays open until its own kickoff, so your group can still predict every match that hasn't begun. The **Stage start** option is grayed out for those stages (it would lock games that haven't started), with a note that upcoming matches lock at each kickoff. Stages that haven't started yet behave normally for your scoring mode. See [Creating a pool mid-tournament](/en/guides/prediction-deadlines#creating-a-pool-mid-tournament).
    </Note>

    <Tip>
      For community pools, leaving the group stage on **Stage start** is the common choice — late joiners then come in for the knockouts only, since the group-stage lock has already passed.
    </Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set pool visibility">
    Choose how members join your pool.

    <CardGroup cols={2}>
      <Card title="Private" icon="lock">
        Members need an 8-character join code or your direct invite link to get in. Nothing is publicly listed. This is the default and works for most groups.
      </Card>

      <Card title="Public" icon="globe">
        Anyone with your pool's link can join without a code. Useful for open competitions or communities where you don't know everyone ahead of time.
      </Card>
    </CardGroup>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create the pool">
    Click **Create Pool**. You're added as the organizer automatically — no separate sign-up step needed.

    You'll land on your new pool's page, where you'll find your shareable invite link and join code ready to copy and send.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Invite your group">
    Copy your invite link or join code and send it via WhatsApp, email, iMessage, or however your group communicates. Members join for free — they never pay.

    See [Invite members](/en/guides/invite-members) for all the ways to share and what happens when your pool grows past 25 members.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Pool limits

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How many pools can I create?">
    You can create up to 50 pools per account. Each pool is independent — different tournaments, different scoring modes, different groups.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How many members can join?">
    Up to 25 members can join for free. After that, new members can't join until you upgrade your pool to a paid tier. Your existing members and their picks are never affected.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I run multiple pools for the same tournament?">
    Yes. There's no restriction on running several pools for the same tournament — useful if you want separate pools for different friend groups or departments.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>