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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.

Your scoring mode determines two things: what earns points (predicting the right winner, the exact score, the correct margin, and more) and when picks lock. You set it once when creating the pool. It can’t be changed after the first member joins, so it’s worth understanding your options before you commit.
Scoring mode is locked as soon as the first member joins your pool. Choose before you share your invite link if you want flexibility.

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The three presets

Casual

Flat points every stage. Best for groups new to prediction pools.

Escalating

Points multiply as the tournament advances. The most popular option.

Cascading Bracket

Predict the full knockout bracket upfront. All-or-nothing drama.

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Casual

Casual is the simplest mode. You earn points for getting the right outcome (who wins or if it’s a draw) and bonus points for nailing the exact score. Every stage — group stage through the final — is worth the same.
What you predictedPoints
Exact final score3 pts
Correct outcome (win / draw / loss)1 pt
When picks lock: individually, at each match’s kickoff. You can submit or update a pick up until the moment the whistle blows.
Casual is the easiest mode to explain to people who’ve never done a prediction pool before. If your group includes casual soccer fans or people who just want to participate without overthinking it, start here.

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Escalating

Tagged Popular — the most commonly chosen mode on Toqui.
Escalating works like Casual but stakes rise with each round. Group stage points are modest; a correct final prediction is worth ten times as much. This means anyone can catch up until the very last match, and nobody is mathematically eliminated before the quarterfinals.
StageExact scoreCorrect outcome
Group stage3 pts1 pt
Round of 325 pts3 pts
Round of 167 pts5 pts
Quarter-final10 pts7 pts
Semi-final15 pts10 pts
Third-place match20 pts15 pts
Final30 pts20 pts
When picks lock: at the start of each stage — once the first match of a round kicks off, picks for that entire round are locked. This creates a natural deadline per round rather than per match.
Escalating is tagged “Popular” for a reason. It keeps everyone competitive deep into the tournament, rewards knowledge without punishing casual players too harshly early on, and creates genuine tension at every knockout stage.

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Cascading Bracket

Tagged Most fun — the highest-drama option Toqui offers.
Cascading Bracket flips the format. Instead of predicting match by match, every member submits their complete knockout bracket in one go before the Round of 16 begins. You call every matchup — who beats who in the Round of 16, the quarterfinals, the semis, and the final — all at once. The same escalating point values apply, but drama compounds as teams are eliminated. Every upset ripples through your bracket. If the team you picked to win the final goes out in the quarterfinals, you lose all the downstream points you’d built around them. When picks lock: all bracket picks lock before the first knockout match kicks off. There are no per-match or per-round deadlines — just one deadline for the whole bracket. Point values per stage are identical to Escalating (see the table above). For a full explanation of how bracket pools work, see Bracket pools.

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Custom mode

Custom mode lets you set your own point values for each scoring rule and each stage of the tournament. It’s built for organizers who want a specific format — like awarding bonus points for predicting a clean sheet, or weighting the final more heavily than the escalating preset does.

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The six scoring rules

RuleWhat it checks
Exact ScoreYou predicted the exact final score (e.g. 2–1 is 2–1)
Correct OutcomeYou predicted the right result — home win, draw, or away win
Correct MarginYou predicted the correct goal difference (e.g. a 1-goal win, regardless of the exact score)
Total GoalsYou predicted the correct total number of goals in the match
Clean SheetYou correctly predicted that one team would concede zero goals
Close ScoreEach of your predicted scores was within 1 goal of the actual score, for both teams
In Custom mode you assign a point value to any combination of these six rules, independently for each tournament stage. Rules you leave at zero (or toggle off) simply don’t score.
A popular custom setup: use Exact Score + Correct Outcome as the base (like Escalating), then add Clean Sheet and Correct Margin for a few bonus points. This rewards deeper tactical knowledge without making Exact Score feel arbitrary.

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Comparing all modes at a glance

CasualEscalatingCascading BracketCustom
Scoring rules222Up to 6
Points vary by stageNoYesYesYour choice
Picks submittedPer matchPer stageAll upfrontPer match or stage
Picks lockPer match kickoffStage startBefore R16Configurable
Best forBeginnersMost groupsDrama seekersPower users