Around the sports: The biggest show of faith lands, but football bites back
The crowd's most confident call landed: 73% backed Stade Français Paris, who beat USA Perpignan 28-26. Not much breathing room in that scoreline, but the outcome went the crowd's way. That sets the tone for the week to 11 September 2026: rugby rewarded conviction, while football supplied plenty of reasons to keep the group chat humble. These crowd figures include every player.
Championship
Results called right
25%
Level with the season (25%)
Exact scores nailed
6%
Level with the season (6%)
League One
Results called right
17%
Down 2 points on the season (19%)
Exact scores nailed
2%
Level with the season (2%)
League Two
Results called right
11%
Down 7 points on the season (18%)
Exact scores nailed
1%
Down 2 points on the season (3%)
Champions League
Results called right
32%
Level with the season (32%)
Exact scores nailed
6%
Level with the season (6%)
Rugby gives the crowd something to cheer
The Top 14 supplied all the best calls in this week's pack. Castres Olympique had 67% backing and beat Vannes 29-20. The same 67% support landed for Lyon, who overcame Clermont 40-36, and Stade Rochelais, who beat Stade Toulousain 30-27.
Across the competition, result accuracy reached 57%, ahead of the season figure of 52%. The headline call had company, then. This was the strongest competition-level result accuracy in the pack, not just a solitary result worth celebrating.
Crowd vs reality
Stade Français Paris 28-26 USA Perpignan
Castres Olympique 29-20 Vannes
Lyon 40-36 Clermont
Stade Rochelais 30-27 Stade Toulousain
Barnsley 1-5 Stevenage
Bristol Rovers 1-0 Rotherham United
Football keeps the confidence in check
Stevenage had 0% backing for their win at Barnsley, yet the result was Barnsley 1-5 Stevenage. That is quite the scoreline to put beside the crowd's verdict.
League Two was no gentler. Bristol Rovers beat Rotherham United 1-0, while Tranmere Rovers beat Oldham Athletic 2-0. Both winning outcomes had 0% backing. So did Northampton Town, who beat Newport County 1-0.
League Two finished with 11% result accuracy and 1% exact-score accuracy. League One recorded 17% and 2% respectively. A tough week for turning football opinions into points of pride.
The split verdict goes the least popular way
Preston North End v Blackburn Rovers was the most divided fixture. Preston North End had 26% backing, with the draw on 37% and Blackburn Rovers also on 37%.
The result? Preston North End 2-1 Blackburn Rovers. The least popular outcome was the right one, a handy reminder that a divided crowd does not have to resolve itself towards either leading choice. Across the Championship, result accuracy was 25%, with exact scores at 6%.
A wider look at the scoreboard
Away from those fixtures, AFL result accuracy stood at 54%, above its season figure of 51%. NFL and MLB both returned 48%, against season figures of 51% and 52% respectively.
In football, the Champions League recorded 32% result accuracy and 6% exact-score accuracy. MLS was a tougher read at 2% and 0%. There was plenty of variety across the sports, but the Top 14 remained the clearest bright spot in this week's crowd figures.
The week ahead
There are no most-backed teams listed for the week ahead in this pack, so there is no early crowd favourite to flag yet. Will you follow the consensus when it takes shape, or give your mates something to debate? Get together and make your calls.