Frequently asked
About & FAQ
Everything about CopaXI — how the draft and the 48-team 2026 simulation work, how ratings are built, and the fan-made disclaimer.
What is CopaXI?
- CopaXI is a free World Cup draft game. You spin the reel, land on a real national team paired with a World Cup year (say, Brazil 2002), and draft one player from that squad into your formation. Repeat until your starting XI is full, then simulate a 48-team 2026-format World Cup and try to lift the trophy.
Is this official or affiliated with FIFA?
- No. Unofficial fan-made game. Not affiliated with FIFA or any national association. Player names and historical data are used descriptively; ratings are an independent interpretation of public data. We use no official logos, crests, kits, or player photography — nations are represented with generic colour treatments, not licensed assets.
How do the player ratings work?
- Ratings come from a transparent, documented, deterministic heuristic — team finish at the tournament, a position baseline, curated legend overrides, and caps. They are our own independent interpretation of public historical data, not a copied external rating set. The same inputs always produce the same rating. Hard Mode hides ratings while you draft.
How does the draft work?
- A weighted wheel lands on a team-year from the pool you chose (a single year, a decade, the modern era, all-time, or projected 2026). You draft one player from that squad into an open formation slot. You need exactly one goalkeeper, the same player-season can't be drafted twice, but the same country across different World Cup years is allowed — so a Brazil 1970 player and a Brazil 2002 player can both make your XI.
How does the tournament simulation work?
- Your finished XI plays a full World Cup in the real 48-team 2026 format: 12 groups of four, then a knockout bracket through to the final — eight games to the trophy. Results come from a seeded, deterministic goal model with controllable variance, so the same XI and seed always play out the same way. Knockout ties go to extra time and then a penalty shootout.
Is it free?
- Yes — CopaXI is completely free to play. There is nothing to buy and no sign-up.
Can I share my run?
- Yes. After you simulate, you get a share link that encodes your XI, your run settings, and the result directly in the URL. Anyone who opens it sees a read-only view of your run, and you can save a result-card image to post.
Do you store my data?
- No. There is no backend, no account, and no database. Your run lives in your own browser (localStorage), and share links carry the whole run inside the URL. Nothing about your run is stored on a server.