Football Sim Lab

How to play: a reproducible tournament example

Last reviewed:

1. Choose a setup

Open the 2026 teams to replay the 48-team format. Switch to manual teams before drawing a different field. The 2030 preset contains projected participants.

2. Try a controlled score

In Group Ranking, turn off “Use real results” and enter 1–0 for the first listed Group A match, Mexico vs South Africa. Keep it fixed when simulating. From this match Mexico earns 3 points, 1 goal for and 0 against. South Africa earns 0 points, 0 goals for and 1 against. Other matches contribute separately to the final table.

Change that score to 0–0 and recalculate. Each team now receives 1 point from the match. This is a consequence you can verify independently of random results. Record your overrides and whether real results are enabled to distinguish fixed scores from simulated matches.

3. Compare possibilities

Simulate at standard chaos, increase Chaos Factor and repeat. Stronger teams can win at high chaos or lose at standard chaos. Compare many runs before describing a tendency. One champion is not a probability. Do not mix runs with different overrides without recording that difference.

4. Follow the bracket

Review the top two teams in each group and eight qualifying third-place teams. Continue to Knockout Stage and play through to a champion. Changing a group result can change both qualifiers and bracket branches, so review the new bracket before comparing outcomes.

5. Keep a useful record

Record the year, teams, draw, chaos setting, real-results setting and score overrides. Image and PDF exports stay on your device. Public links upload the selected result. Local saves do not transfer between domains. See Privacy for the difference.

Player Career

Create a fictional prospect, select training and clubs, then review seasons and national-team opportunities. Career choices do not change the separate tournament mode. Progress is local to this browser. Read Methodology for the tournament formula and limitations.