About

WCPA — the World Cup Prediction Album — is a statistical companion to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. A hand-built model — international Elo plus a time-decayed Dixon-Coles goals model, blended and calibrated — is backtested on more than 49,000 internationals dating to 1872, then used to call every match, estimate each nation's title odds, and project the full wallchart. It's laid out like a retro sticker album because football should be fun.

It's an independent project by Samuel Bowey, built in Australia. The whole engine is pure Python over a PostgreSQL database; the numbers update from a live feed of results and news as the tournament unfolds. How the model is measured (held-out accuracy, calibration) is shown openly on the site's “Method” page — this is published as data, with its track record visible, not as a tipping service.

Disclaimer

For entertainment only. Everything here is statistical model output and opinion. It is not betting or gambling advice, financial advice, or a prediction we guarantee. Football is wonderfully unpredictable — that's the whole point.

We make no warranty that any forecast is accurate, complete or current. Any decision you make — including any wager you choose to place with a licensed operator — is entirely your own responsibility. If gambling is causing you harm, free, confidential help is available in Australia at Gambling Help Online (1800 858 858).

WCPA is not affiliated with, authorised by, or endorsed by FIFA or any football federation, league or club. “FIFA World Cup” and related names are trademarks of their respective owners and are used here only to describe the event the model forecasts.

Privacy

We keep this simple because the site is simple. WCPA is a static website with no accounts, no logins, and no sign-up. We do not ask for or store your personal information, and the site itself sets no tracking or advertising cookies.

A few third parties are involved in delivering the page, and their own policies apply:

Flag images load from flagcdn.com (public-domain flags).
Fonts load from Google Fonts.
If you click the “buy me a coffee” tip link or a shop link, you leave our site for that provider (e.g. Ko-fi, or a retailer), and their privacy and cookie policies then apply.

If we ever add privacy-respecting analytics, we'll say so here first. Questions about your privacy? Email hello@wcpa26.com.

Terms of Use

By using WCPA you accept these terms. The site and its content are provided “as is”, for personal, non-commercial use, with no warranties of any kind. We are not liable for any loss arising from your use of the site or reliance on its forecasts, to the maximum extent permitted by law. The model, code, design and written content are the property of Samuel Bowey; please don't republish them wholesale without permission. These terms are governed by the laws of New South Wales, Australia.

Affiliate & Advertising Disclosure

Some outbound links in “The Club Shop”, and the tip link, are affiliate links. If you buy something after clicking one, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only feature things that fit the retro / football-culture spirit of the site, and affiliate relationships never change the model's output. Links are marked #Ad in line with the ACCC's guidance on disclosure.