How to Set Up a World Cup Sweep for Your Group
Running a World Cup sweep on Kwick Picks takes about two minutes. This guide walks you through every decision — from setting the entry fee to triggering the draw — so you can get your group started without any confusion.
The KwickPicks Team has spent years running and playing Last Man Standing competitions across the Premier League, Championship, and lower leagues. We write about LMS strategy, fixture analysis, and pick advice to help players at every level survive longer — and win.
Before You Start: What You Need to Decide
There are four things to settle before you create the sweep. None of them are permanent — you can edit most settings after the fact via the Settings tab — but having a clear idea upfront means less back-and-forth with your group.
Entry fee
Free sweeps work perfectly well. If you are collecting money, decide the amount per entry before you set up — it keeps expectations clear from the start. Payments are handled outside Kwick Picks; the platform tracks who is in, but does not process money.
Entries per player
A sweep needs exactly 48 entries to trigger the draw. If your group has fewer than 48 people, allow multiple entries per player. 24 players with 2 entries each works perfectly. The maximum is entirely up to you.
Prize splits
How will you divide the pot? The default is winner-takes-most, but you can add positions for runner-up, semi-finalists, even a wooden spoon. Each position needs a label and a percentage — they must add up to exactly 100%.
Public or private
Public sweeps are discoverable by anyone on the site. Private sweeps are invite-only. For a friends or office group, private is almost always the right choice.
Creating the Sweep
Go to WC Sweep → Create a Sweep from the navigation. You will be asked to give the sweep a name, an optional description, and to fill in the settings above. The sweep is created immediately and you are taken straight to the sweep page.
Give it a name your group will recognise — something like “Office World Cup 2026” or “Family Sweep” works better than a generic title if you are sharing the link externally. The description is a good place to add any group-specific rules, payment instructions, or deadlines.
Inviting Your Group
Once the sweep is created, go to the Invite tab. You will find two things: an invite code (for private sweeps) and a direct invite link.
The invite link is the easiest way to get people in. Copy it and drop it into your group chat — anyone who clicks it lands on the sweep page and can join with one button press. If you made the sweep private, the link includes the invite code automatically, so players do not need to enter it separately.
The invite code is useful for groups where you want to share the code separately — for example, posting it in a message alongside manual bank transfer instructions, so players know the entry fee is expected before they join.
Managing Entries
As players join, you will see them appear in the Entrants list on the Overview tab. The entry count in the top bar updates in real time. Keep an eye on it — if someone has accidentally added too many entries, they can remove extras themselves using the delete button next to their entry.
If a player wants to give their extra entries a label — for example, if they are filling spots on behalf of family members — they can add a nickname to each entry by clicking the edit label button next to their name. The real name is always shown; the nickname appears alongside it as a secondary label.
The draw cannot be triggered until all 48 entries are filled. If you are struggling to fill the last few spots, the easiest fix is to add entries yourself or ask existing players to add another entry each.
Triggering the Draw
When all 48 spots are filled, the Draw Teams button appears on the Overview page — visible only to you as the organiser. Before you click it, make sure your group is ready. The draw should ideally be a shared experience — trigger it in a video call, a group chat announcement, or at an in-person gathering if you can manage it.
Once triggered, the draw animation plays in full — players are revealed one at a time and matched with their randomly assigned nation. The animation is shown automatically to every player the first time they visit the sweep page after the draw, so no one misses out even if they were not online at the moment you triggered it.
The draw cannot be undone. Once triggered, the team assignments are permanent.
After the Draw: Changing Settings
You can edit most sweep settings after the draw via the Settings tab — name, description, visibility, entry fee, and prize splits can all be updated at any time. The status field lets you mark the sweep as Completed once the tournament is over, or make any administrative adjustments if something needs correcting.
If you need to reset and redo the draw for any reason — for example, if an entry was added by mistake before the draw was triggered — you can change the status back to Open in Settings. This clears the existing assignments and allows you to trigger a fresh draw. Use with caution.
Prize Structure Recommendations
The right prize structure depends on what your group values. Here are three approaches that work well for different setups.
| Style | Split | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Winner takes most | 60% / 25% / 15% | Competitive groups who want a clear winner |
| Broad distribution | 40% / 25% / 20% / 15% | Larger groups — keeps more players invested |
| Semi-final prize | 50% / 30% / 10% / 10% | Encourages excitement into the last four |
Create your sweep now
Takes two minutes. Share the invite link and fill your 48 spots before the tournament starts.