They call it “the beautiful game.” They also say that about football, but this time it’s about Bracketology: a new interactive game from the Guardian that lets users plot a path to victory in this year’s men’s World Cup.
Zohran Mamdani’s Joyful Reaction
For a sense of the buzz, watch New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, an avid football fan, try his hand at Bracketology. The video captures the progression through the game and the emotions of football. He starts with geeky expert predictions but eventually succumbs to wishful dreaming. As he made his final choice, Mamdani said: “Let’s go with the heart – the heart wants what it wants.”
Behind the Scenes: The Making of Bracketology
But before the full hearts, there were headaches. A huge amount of work went into making the game enjoyable. “It looks beautifully simple on the surface but there’s a lot going on under the hood,” explains Petter Nitter, a product manager. This year’s men’s World Cup is the largest ever, with teams expanded from 32 to 48, and matches almost doubling from 64 to 104.
“There are several hundred permutations in our Bracketology game because of all these different rounds and variables,” says Petter. “Finding ways to represent that was challenging, both visually and technically. When a player makes a change, it needs to permeate correctly all the way through, and work seamlessly across our mobile app and website.”
Instead of a typical left-right draw, the Guardian’s designers created a circular format where teams converge towards the final. The gamification also helps explain the tournament’s mechanics, scale, and shape. “We tried to bridge gaps in understanding, for football nerds and novices alike,” says Petter. “It’s as much an explainer as a game.”
Innovation in Sports Coverage
Sporting events lend themselves to innovative formats. “World Cups and Olympics are punctuation points for us to think about what’s new,” says Will Woodward, head of sport. Interactive games make the audience part of the action. “Gamifying digital sport coverage goes back to the London 2012 Olympics,” says James Dart, digital sports editor, who conceived Bracketology. “This World Cup felt ideal to experiment again. Historically, Bracketology is associated with March Madness, but football with this expanded tournament felt like a good fit.”
The team used a hack day to demonstrate a proof of concept, thanks to Abolade Akintunde. “Once we had the green light, it was a hugely impressive, swift, and collaborative effort,” says James. More than 25 colleagues from across the Guardian, including editors, designers, developers, and product managers, contributed.
Massive World Cup Coverage
Bracketology is just a fraction of the Guardian’s World Cup coverage. The team also produced an interactive guide to all 1,248 players in the tournament. “This year’s guide is the biggest single piece of content Guardian Sport has ever produced, longer than Great Expectations,” says Will. The guide is written by local journalists with deep knowledge of each team. Work started in February.
The player guide uses an innovative operating model: contributors get access to profiles from other countries in exchange for writing their own. “It’s an exchange of information,” explains Marcus Christenson, football special projects editor. “People are always proud to be involved.”
As matches begin, coverage will draw on global football expertise, including Barney Ronay, David Hytner, Jonathan Liew, Sid Lowe, and Jonathan Wilson, plus new US hires. About 30 people will work directly on daily coverage. The podcast Football Weekly will host a sold-out live show in New York’s Bowery Ballroom and produce daily video podcasts.
More Interactive Fun
Alongside Bracketology, the Guardian is launching an international version of its daily football puzzle game, “On the ball: world stage,” available on the Guardian app. “We have many gateways into our World Cup coverage,” says Alexander Abnos, senior editor for soccer in the US. The goal is to bring together football experts and newcomers. “I played Bracketology with Mamdani, who knows a lot, but also with friends in a bar who knew nothing, and they enjoyed it too. We meet our audience wherever they are.”
