> ## 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.
# When can I make my predictions?
> Understand when prediction windows open and close in your pool — and what to do when a matchup isn't decided yet.
This guide explains everything about prediction deadlines: when they happen, what they look like in the app, and what to do when a matchup hasn't been decided yet.
## The three states a prediction can be in
When you open a pool, every game (group stage or knockout) shows one of three states:
The matchup isn't decided yet. One or both teams are TBD. You'll be able to predict once earlier games confirm who plays who.
You can submit or edit your prediction.
The deadline has passed. Your prediction (if any) is final.
Each game in your predictions list has a clear visual indicator showing which state it's in.
## When does each game lock?
That depends on what your pool's organizer chose when setting it up. Pools have one of these settings:
### Per Match
Each game locks at **its own kickoff**. You can predict right up until the moment the game starts.
### Stage Start
All games in a stage lock at the same time — **when the stage's first game kicks off**. So when the first group game starts, every group prediction locks together.
### Custom
All games in a stage lock on a **specific date** the organizer chose. You'll see the exact date at the top of the stage in your predictions screen.
### Cascading Bracket
Your pool has **one bracket-wide deadline** for all knockout predictions. By default it's set to the kickoff of the first knockout game. (Cascading Bracket pools work very differently — keep reading.)
Not sure what your pool uses? Open the pool's home screen — the lock mode is shown at the top of the predictions tab, along with the next upcoming deadline.
## Cascading Bracket pools
If your pool is a Cascading Bracket pool, you'll see this prominently on its home screen. The experience is different enough from regular pools that it gets its own section.
### How predicting the bracket works
You predict the **entire knockout bracket in one go**, before any knockout game kicks off. You pick a winner *and* a scoreline for each R32 matchup; that winner automatically appears in your R16 matchup; your R16 winner cascades to your QF slot; and so on through the final.
```mermaid theme={null}
flowchart TD
R32["R32: You pick Argentina to beat Croatia 2–1"]
R16["R16: Argentina now appears in your R16 matchup"]
QF["QF: Your QF slot follows the R16 winner you pick"]
R32 --> R16 --> QF
```
Score predictions are required at every round, just like in any other Toqui mode. The cascade only controls *which* matchup appears in each downstream slot — you still pick a scoreline for it.
### What if I change my mind about an earlier pick?
If you change an R32 pick after you've already filled in R16, the R16 slot that depended on it gets **cleared** so you can re-pick. We do this because the matchup you originally predicted no longer makes sense — the team isn't there anymore.
You can keep changing your mind right up until the bracket deadline. After the deadline, your bracket is final.
### When does the bracket lock?
**At the kickoff of the first knockout game.** Once that game starts, your entire bracket is frozen — no more changes to any pick, in any round.
This is a **single deadline for every knockout pick** — R32 through the final. If you miss it, you can't predict any knockout games for the rest of the tournament.
## Why some matchups are TBD
Knockout matchups depend on earlier results. Until those results are in, the matchup shows as TBD and you can't predict it yet.
**We confirm matchups 2 hours after each feeding game ends.** The delay gives our data provider time to verify the official result before we update your bracket.
So if a group game ends at 10pm, the knockout slots that depend on it become predictable around midnight.
### The transition window — when timing gets tight
The tightest moment in any tournament is **the transition from group to knockout**. Here's what a typical World Cup transition looks like:
```
June 27 June 28
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
~7pm ~10pm midnight 12pm
│ │ │ │
▼ ▼ ▼ ▼
Last Game Last R32 Bracket
group ends matchups deadline +
game confirm first R32
kicks off (2h after kicks off
game end)
```
If you're in a **Cascading Bracket pool**, you have from midnight to noon — roughly **12 hours** — to finalize any bracket slots that depended on that last group game. Most of that is overnight, so **plan to be online the morning of the first R32 day and finalize before noon.**
If you're in a **non-cascading pool**, you have the same midnight-to-noon window for those specific games, but missing it only costs you those games — the rest of your stage predictions are unaffected.
We send notifications 24 hours before bracket deadlines and stage starts so you don't have to remember every date yourself. Just don't rely on them as your only safety net.
## FAQ
Any predictions you submitted before the deadline still count. Games you didn't predict simply earn zero points for those games — there's no penalty to your overall score beyond the missed opportunity.
We wait 2 hours after a feeding game ends before updating the matchup. The delay lets our data provider confirm the official result. If it's been longer than 2 hours and the slot is still TBD, refresh — the update may have just landed.
Yes, anytime before its lock. Your most recent submission is what counts.
Organizers (and pool admins) can adjust rules at any time during the tournament. Your submitted predictions are never deleted. If they change **when predictions lock**, the new deadlines apply from that moment on and your points don't change. If they change **scoring** after games have already been played, Toqui recalculates every score under the new rules, so your points and ranking can move up or down — and you'll get a notification naming who made the change.
The most common reason is that your pool's organizer (or an admin) updated the scoring rules. When scoring changes, Toqui recalculates every game already played, so rankings can shift. Check your notifications — there'll be one naming who changed the scoring. (New results coming in is the other normal reason standings move.)