Answers to the most common questions about GoalPicks, including scoring, public and private games, Goal Coins, Premium, invites, notifications, and account settings.
GoalPicks is a soccer prediction app where players join pools, submit score picks for matches, and compete on leaderboards based on how accurate their predictions are.
You can join public Goal Coins games instantly or create private pools for your own group.
Yes. You can create an account, use the app, and play many parts of GoalPicks for free.
Some features involve Goal Coins or Premium, and private cash games are managed separately between players outside the platform.
A game on GoalPicks is a soccer pool built around a specific tournament or league, such as the FIFA World Cup, Premier League, LaLiga, or any other supported competition.
Players in that game submit predictions for each included match and keep accumulating points as the competition progresses. At the end of the game, final standings are based on total points earned across all matches in that pool.
If the game has a prize pool, payouts are then determined from those final standings according to the game’s prize structure.
GoalPicks currently uses a curated list of supported competitions instead of opening every league by default.
That list includes major tournaments and leagues such as the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro, Copa America, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, Copa Libertadores, Premier League, LaLiga, Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1, MLS, Liga MX, Brazil Serie A, Argentina Liga Profesional, and the Saudi Pro League.
We plan to expand the supported list over time as the app grows.
A head-to-head challenge is a private 1-on-1 game between two players.
The challenger chooses a competition, selects 1 to 3 upcoming matches from the next matchday, sets a buy-in, and sends the challenge to another player.
Open another player's card from a leaderboard, game page, or player list, then choose Challenge.
From there, pick the competition, select 1 to 3 matches, choose the buy-in, and send the challenge.
When the other player accepts, GoalPicks creates a private head-to-head game for just the two of you.
Both players can make picks in that game like a normal pool, and you will be notified when your challenge is accepted.
Yes. Head-to-head challenges count like active games for free-user limits while they are pending or active.
If you do not have an available active game slot, you may need Premium before sending or accepting a challenge.
A matchday game is a pool based on one upcoming matchday or round instead of the full competition.
Players only make picks for the matches included in that selected matchday.
A custom slate game lets the creator choose a specific set of upcoming matches instead of using a full competition or one complete matchday.
It is useful when you want a smaller game around selected matches.
Custom slate game creation is a Premium creator feature.
Anyone can still join a custom slate game created by another player, even if they are not Premium.
No. Matchday and custom slate games use only the matches selected when the game is created.
Full competition games can still auto-extend when later rounds or new tournament matches are added.
A matchday or custom slate game ends when all selected matches are completed and scored.
If an unresolved selected match is cancelled, abandoned, suspended, or otherwise treated as not going to be played, the game can finish without waiting forever for that match.
By default, an exact score earns 3 points and a correct outcome earns 1 point. Some games can use custom scoring set by the game creator.
Each game shows its scoring format clearly, for example 3/1 means 3 points for exact score and 1 point for correct outcome.
A missing pick behaves like a failed pick and earns 0 points for that match.
Missing picks also count against your accuracy metrics, so your player card and dashboard stats reflect missed opportunities the same way as incorrect predictions.
Yes. You can play private cash games with your friends by creating a private game and handling the money arrangement outside the platform.
You are responsible for collecting payments and distributing payouts. GoalPicks does not process money for private cash games, does not hold funds, and is not responsible for payment disputes or prize distribution.
Yes. You can update a saved pick any time before the match locks.
Once the match has started, picks are locked and can no longer be changed.
Yes. Other players' picks become visible once the match has started.
Open the game's Picks tab, go to In Progress or Past, and click View Picks on the match card to see everyone else's predictions for that match.
Picks are graded using the full-time result for 90 minutes plus stoppage time only.
Extra time and penalty shootouts do not count unless the app rules for a specific competition are changed in the future.
Public games are open to eligible users and use Goal Coins. If you meet the requirements and have enough balance, you can join them instantly.
Private games are controlled by the creator and can use invite-only access, join requests, custom rules, and either Goal Coins or USD depending on setup.
Yes, as long as the game is not finished. GoalPicks supports late registration for active games.
Games that have already started are labeled accordingly so you know you are entering after some matches may already be in progress or completed.
Private games can be joined through direct invite links, in-app invites, or join requests depending on the game setup and your relationship to the game.
Admins can approve or deny join requests, and requesters receive inbox notifications when their request is accepted or denied.
Goal Coins are the in-app currency used for public games and any private games configured to use Goal Coins.
They are deducted when you join eligible games with a buy-in, and your balance can also increase through bonuses or winnings.
You can buy Goal Coins from the Buy Goal Coins page, and you can also claim a daily bonus once per UTC day.
Premium users receive a larger daily bonus than free users.
Yes. You can review your Goal Coins activity from the Profile page.
Look for the Transaction history section to see recent Goal Coins purchases, bonuses, buy-ins, refunds, and winnings.
Premium currently includes unlimited active games, a larger daily Goal Coins bonus, an instant Goal Coins boost when Premium is purchased, custom avatar uploads, and creator tools like admin fees and custom slate games.
Premium details can evolve over time, so the Premium page is the best place to check the current benefits.
Yes. Admin fees are supported as a Premium feature for game creators.
You can configure the admin fee as either a percentage or a fixed amount, and it works in both Goal Coins games and private cash games.
Each game has its own leaderboard based on points earned from match picks. The app also has a global leaderboard that compares players across GoalPicks.
Global rankings use normalized scoring so players can be compared fairly even when different games use different point settings.
Player card stats and the global leaderboard refresh on a nightly basis.
That means your global profile stats, percentile badges, and global ranking are not always instant after each match and may update on the next nightly refresh cycle.
Yes. Games can show live leaderboard movement while matches are in progress.
During live matches, the game leaderboard combines already-finalized points from finished matches with temporary live points from matches currently being played, so rankings can move before the gameweek is fully complete.
Once matches are marked finished, those points become part of the finalized standings.
Each game has a prize structure that determines how many finishing places get paid and how the prize pool is split between them.
In many games, this is calculated automatically based on the number of players in the pool. In other games, the creator or admin may use a custom prize structure for that specific game.
When players are tied across paid places, the payout for the affected places is combined and shared across all players in that tie group.
Yes. Each account gets one free display name change after creation, and after that there is a 30-day cooldown between changes.
Your display name is visible across leaderboards, picks, invites, and inbox messages.
If your account uses email and password login, you can update your password from the Profile page.
If you sign in through Google or Facebook, password management is handled by that provider instead.
Important events show up in your in-app inbox even if email and push notifications are disabled.
Depending on your notification preferences, you can also receive alerts for things like game invites, join requests, game starting reminders, and missed-pick reminders.
If you need help with your account, gameplay, Goal Coins, Premium, or anything else in the app, you can use the Contact Us page.
If you found something broken or not working as expected, the Report a Bug page is the best place to send that issue.
You can also reach support by email at support@goalpicks.app.
Yes. The app can generate a pick-not-made notification before kickoff if you still have not submitted a prediction.
Timing may vary slightly depending on the reminder window configured for the current notification job.
Yes, but only in private cash games and only for members who have not been marked as paid yet. Admins also cannot remove another admin through this flow.
When a player is removed, they receive an inbox notification explaining that they were removed from the game, and a confirmation step is shown before removal so it does not happen by accident.
Account deletion is not currently offered as a self-service action in the app.
That decision helps preserve historical game records and leaderboard integrity. If account management policies change later, the FAQ and Profile page will be updated.
No. For private USD games, GoalPicks does not collect money or distribute payouts.
Players and admins are responsible for handling off-platform payment arrangements and prize distribution themselves.