# Football Cup Simulator — 48 teams! How will 2026 look?

> Football tournament draw and format simulation tool. (iPhone/iPad app by Ralph DMello.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/football-cup-simulator/id1662167368 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Ralph DMello](https://appshunter.io/developer/883186543)
- Category: Sports, Reference
- Price: Free
- Rating: 3.40/5 from 5 App Store ratings · 2 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 18.6 · 16 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2023-01-17
- Data updated: 2026-08-25
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/football-cup-simulator/id1662167368/reviews.md

## What is Football Cup Simulator?

How would the draw of an expanded tournament to 64 teams look like?
Simulate it, several times if needed and come to your own conclusion of how exciting or boring it could be :-)

Football tournament simulator allows you to build your own fantasy tournament format by selecting from various parameters
1. Number of teams
2. Tournament format
3. Number of groups
4. Number of groups in the 2nd stage (if the format supports it) and their structure.
5. The first Knock out phase in the tournament

Could preselect a format from a previous year of the tournament or from the one decided for the 2026 one.
Uses the confederation limits which were in place/proposed for each of the specific tournament templates selected. If you don’t like these limits you could turn them off, in which case the teams will be chosen based on a global world ranking.

Don’t like any of the previous year templates, then build your own exciting tournament. The model will correct you and give you suggestions/explainations during configuration if the combination of parameters you are choosing defies the math :-) 

The model uses the rankings of the teams  (as of 20th July 2026) in determining the probability when deciding on the results of a game.

Supports various tournament formats that occurred previously between 1930-2030
1. Groups followed by knock out stages, the one you have got used to and thought that's the only one used, if you are not old enough :-)
2. Groups followed by a 2nd stage of groups and then a much more reduced knock out stage. This is my particular favourite. Partially too because that's the way it was when I started following.
3. Only knockouts. Ah! Something used almost a century ago, has a certain bit of excitement to it.
4. Group followed by a Finals group, no knockouts. Winner is winner of the finals group.
5. Finals Group. This one has not actually been used but added as other tournaments have used this

Have even thrown in some options which have never been used in any world cup tournament  E.g.
* 64 teams
* Various number of round 1 groups
* A Round of 64 as the first knock out phase 
* Finals group format

Happy Tournament building!!

## Key features

- Simulate expanded 48-team World Cup draws
- Customize tournament parameters
- Select from various historical formats (1930-2022)
- Build custom tournament structures
- Utilize confederation limits or global rankings
- Generate fantasy tournament formats

## Recent user reviews (2 of 2)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/football-cup-simulator/id1662167368/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Don’t buy, says you get hacked

*2026-06-24*

If you hate the feeling of being hacked, don’t use it, there are so many other bracket sims,

**Developer response:** Huh!?

### 4/5 — Mid

*2026-06-01*

It has a lot of popups

**Developer response:** Thanks for checking it out.Those popups are the banner ads as the bottom or an interstatial every 4 min, I mean it is a free app, please bare with a Ad or two :-).

## Frequently asked questions about Football Cup Simulator

### What is Football Cup Simulator?

Football Cup Simulator is a tool that allows you to simulate football tournament draws and formats. You can customize various parameters to create your own fantasy tournaments or explore scenarios like an expanded 48-team World Cup.

### Can I simulate the 2026 World Cup draw with Football Cup Simulator?

Yes, the app specifically mentions simulating the draw of an expanded World Cup to 48 teams and 3 hosts, reflecting the 2026 scenario. You can explore how this could look and how exciting or boring it might be.

### What kind of tournament formats can I create in Football Cup Simulator?

You can select from various historical tournament formats that occurred between 1930-2022, including group stages followed by knockouts, or group stages with a second group stage before knockouts. You can also create custom formats with options not previously used in World Cups.

### Does Football Cup Simulator use real-world rankings for simulations?

Yes, the model uses current team rankings (as of November 2025) to determine team qualification and draw probabilities. It also uses these rankings to decide the results of games.

### Can I turn off confederation limits in Football Cup Simulator?

Yes, you have the option to turn off confederation limits. If you do, teams will be chosen based on a global world ranking instead.

### How does Football Cup Simulator help if my chosen parameters are invalid?

The model will correct you and provide suggestions or explanations during configuration if the combination of parameters you are choosing defies mathematical logic for a tournament structure.

### What devices is Football Cup Simulator available on?

Based on the provided data, Football Cup Simulator is supported on iPhone devices.

### How often is Football Cup Simulator updated?

The latest version of Football Cup Simulator is 3.8.1, and it was last updated on May 30, 2026. This indicates a recent update and ongoing development.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 4.0.0 — 2026-08-19

Added a Custom tournament slot to build your own format
Added 2030 Tournament format! Yes you read that right 2030 :-)
Updated Rankings of teams
Now if we select Previously used formats will not let you change it by accident. 
2026 tournament format no longer uses the real 2026 group assignments (now that the tournament is over)

### 3.9.1 — 2026-07-02

For 2026 tournament will now simulate along with Actual results from the Group stage results, where every country has played 3 games 
Can turn this off (Setting) if you still want to simulate all games

### 3.9.0 — 2026-06-23

For 2026 tournament will now simulate along with Actual results from round 1 (Mtchday 1) of the group games, where every country has played one game each
Can turn this off if you still want to simulate all games
2026 Tournament now uses Head to Head to resolve rank in the group before the Goal Difference and Goals For. This is a new in the 2026 Tournament

### 3.8.1 — 2026-05-30

When the 2026 Tournament Format is selected, the below 2 can now be turned on or off 
* 1st Simulation Honors Rank (Sim 1)
* Simulate a Championship for each of the 48 countries (Sim 10-57)

Other bug fixes

### 3.8.0 — 2026-05-04

Road to the Cup Championship!!
See how each of the participating 48 teams can win it all, no mater how unlikely it maybe for some of the teams :-)
For the 2026 tournament simulation selection, Out of the 100 Simulations 48 (Sim 10-57) will be dedicated to show how each country could end up winning it all

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## More apps by Ralph DMello

- [Football Euro Cup Stats](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/football-euro-cup-stats/id903350529)
- [Football Euro Cup Stats (iPad)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/football-euro-cup-stats-ipad/id903356957)
- [Football Cup Trivia Generator](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/football-cup-trivia-generator/id910006877)
- [Ultimate Country Maps Trivia](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ultimate-country-maps-trivia/id1088535147)
- [Monarchies and Stats](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/monarchies-and-stats/id1173666834)
- [British Monarchy and Stats](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/british-monarchy-and-stats/id1174379604)

All apps by Ralph DMello: https://appshunter.io/developer/883186543

## Related topics

[world football simulator](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/world-football-simulator)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-25.*
