FAQ Euro 2024 Excel Predictor

How to Organize a Euro 2024 Prediction Pool?

1. Go to https://matejero.com/euro-excel-spreadsheet-pool/ and download the two files: one for participants and one for the administrator.
2. Open the administrator file and go to the “ADMIN” sheet. Assign points to each criterion in the scoring table.
3. Send the participant file to everyone who will participate in your pool, along with the scoring criteria so they know it in advance.
4. When participants send you their completed file, copy their predictions from the “Pool” sheet to the “ADMIN” sheet in the administrator file.
5. Once you have received all their predictions, select the exact number of players in the selector on the “ADMIN” sheet.
6. When the Euro 2024 starts, go to the “Euro2024” sheet in the administrator file and fill in the results as they happen.
7. The standing will be automatically updated as you enter the results of the Euro 2024.

What happens if you don’t guess the correct match in the round of 16 but you guess the correct result?

As explained in the scoring system, This applies to the Round of 16, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Final.

• As a general rule, if a match doesn’t exist, it doesn’t earn points. In the example below, the match Austria 5 – Romania 0 predicted by a participant doesn’t exist. Although Austria won their Round of 16 match 5-0, they don’t earn points because the match doesn’t exist. They can earn points with the “Team qualified for QUARTERFINALS” criterion if they correctly predict the team that advances.
• If a match exists but doesn’t match the row, it can earn points if the result and/or the sign are correct. It can also earn points with the “Team qualified for QUARTERFINALS” criterion if they correctly predict the team that advances.
• If a match exists but the home and away teams are swapped, it can also earn points if the result and/or the sign are correct. It doesn’t matter which row it’s in. In this case, it can also earn points with the “Team qualified for QUARTERFINALS” criterion if they correctly predict the team that advances.

Let’s imagine that we give the following points in the ROUND OF 16:

ROUND OF 16- 1X2 (home, draw, away)	1
ROUND OF 16 – Goal Difference (with 1X2 correct)	2
ROUND OF 16- Exact Result	3
Nation Qualified for QUARTERFINALS	1

Let’s look at the fictitious match Austria 5 – Belgium 0 and how points would be added with the following fictitious results of the participants. Obviously, the results on the right will not happen like this, but it’s to illustrate with an example the points that add up with different possibilities.

From Round of 16 onwards, What result counts if a match ends in a draw?

This applies to the Round of 16, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Final.

• If there is no draw, the result that counts is the one at the 90^th minute.
• If there is a draw at the 90th minute, the result that counts is the one at the 120^th minute.

For example, in the fictitious Round of 16 match Germany vs. Croatia:

• If the score is 0-0 at the 90^th minute and 1-0 in favor of Germany at the 120^th minute, the result that counts is the 1-0 at the 120^th minute.
• If the score is 2-2 at the 90^th minute and remains 2-2 at the 120^th minute, the 2-2 would still count, as there is no change.
• If the score is 2-2 at the 90^th minute and 3-3 at the 120^th minute, the result that counts is the 3-3 at the 120^th minute.
• If the score is 1-0 at the 90^th minute, the result that counts is the 1-0. There would be no extra time in this case.

Minute 90′ Result	Minute 120′ Result	What result counts?
Germany 0 – 0 Croatia	Germany 1 – 0 Croatia	120′: Germany 1 – 0 Croatia
Germany 2 – 2 Croatia	Germany 2 – 2 Croatia	120′: Germany 2 – 2 Croatia
Germany 2 – 2 Croatia	Germany 3 – 3 Croatia	120′: Germany 3 – 3 Croatia
Germany 1 – 0 Croatia	–	90′: Germany 1 – 0 Croatia

At the end of the prediction pool, what happens if there is a tie for first place?

At the end of the prediction pool, there may be two or more participants tied for first place. In this case, the winner is determined by the organizer’s criteria. Here are some possible options:

• If there is a prize for the winner, it can be divided among the participants tied for first place.
• The participant who submitted their predictions first wins.
• The participant who guessed the most exact results in the group stage wins.
• A draw is held to determine the winner.

How to organize a prediction pool in stages (first the group stage, and then the knockout stage)

1. Participants predict the results of the group stage.
2. As the administrator, you copy and paste each participant’s predictions into the administrator sheet, according to the “Pool” sheet in each participant’s file.
3. As the group stage progresses, you must fill in a separate participant file with the results of the group stage. Once the group stage is over, you send that file to the participants to complete the predictions for the knockout stages. (Since with the real results the round of 16 matches will have been formed).
4. You copy the results of the knockout stages of each participant according to the “Pool” sheet and paste it as values in the administrator sheet, in the column corresponding to each participant.

What is the best scoring system?

There is no single best scoring system. It depends on the type of prediction pool (phased or full tournament), what is most valued in a group, and so on. Some groups value guessing match results more than guessing who will advance to the next round, while others value guessing which teams will advance more than guessing results.

That’s why in this edition we have added a summary table below the scoring criteria table showing the maximum number of points that can be scored in the group stage and the maximum number of points that can be scored in the knockout stages.

I’ll tell you what I personally like. (We use a full tournament system, not a staged one.)

I like to keep participants engaged in the pool for as long as possible, because that keeps the excitement and healthy competition going among all participants. So I try to give increasing points for guessing who will advance to the next round, so that even those who haven’t guessed many results in the group stage still have a chance to finish in the top spots.

I asked Gemini this question and it responded as follows:

There is no single scoring system that is the best for all prediction pools. The choice of the system will depend on several factors, such as:

• The scoring criteria that are considered most important:
  • Accuracy of results: If you want to reward the ability to predict the exact outcome of matches, you should give more weight to this criterion.
  • Team classification: If you want to reward the ability to predict which teams will advance to the next stages of the tournament, you should give more weight to this criterion.
  • Difficulty of the prediction: You can assign more points to the most difficult predictions, such as predicting the exact outcome of a match with many goals.
• The type of prediction pool:
  • Private prediction pool: In a private prediction pool among friends, you can choose a more complex scoring system that is tailored to the preferences of the group.
  • Public prediction pool: In a public prediction pool with many participants, you usually choose a simpler scoring system that is easy to understand.
• Recommendations:
  • Ask participants: It is important to consult with the participants of the prediction pool to find out their preferences and choose a scoring system that everyone likes.
  • Communicate the scoring system in advance: The scoring system should be communicated to all participants before the start of Euro 2024 so that they can make their predictions with full knowledge of the facts.