Round 1
Pre-match calls
Before kick-off you face seven questions about the match ahead — who wins, both teams to score, cards, shots on target and more. The window opens five days before kick-off and shuts the instant the game starts.
How it works
A real match. Your calls.
Every round of Gaffer Arena runs on a real football match. You make the reads a manager makes, the match plays out for real, and your calls are graded the moment it ends.
Round 2
The half-time window
The second the half-time whistle blows, a 13-minute clock starts. Up to five questions land, written from the first half you just watched — an early goal, a heated booking, a team pinned back. Lock your reads before the window seals.
In-play moments
Two optional calls can pop up mid-match: a Double Down around the 40th minute lets you wager extra rating on a pre-match call that's holding, and a quick stoppage-time call around the 80th asks how much added time the fourth official will signal.
Scoring at full-time
When the match is official, the real result grades every call automatically. Score 70% or more in a round and it's a WIN; 40–69% is a DRAW; below that, a LOSS. You always bank XP for showing up.
ELO and ranks
Everyone starts on 1200. Beat what the game expects of your rating and you climb; the better you get, the more it expects. Five ranks — Bronze, Silver, Gold, Elite, Champion — and losses are softened, so thoughtful play trends upward.
Fan Flux
Between rounds, back your read against the crowd. Swing the fan meter with Influence Points and earn XP when your call beats the crowd's.