Around the sports: The 80% call lands as football bites back
The crowd’s most confident call landed: Kansas City Royals had 80% backing and beat Oakland Athletics 9-7. A proper return for that confidence, and a welcome bright spot in the week to 21 August 2026. Elsewhere, football gave the group chat rather less to celebrate. These crowd figures include every player, so this is the full picture, not just the best bits.
Championship
Results called right
19%
Down 6 points on the season (25%)
Exact scores nailed
4%
Down 2 points on the season (6%)
League One
Results called right
12%
Down 7 points on the season (19%)
Exact scores nailed
0%
Down 2 points on the season (2%)
League Two
Results called right
11%
Down 7 points on the season (18%)
Exact scores nailed
0%
Down 3 points on the season (3%)
La Liga
Results called right
14%
Down 10 points on the season (24%)
Exact scores nailed
1%
Down 3 points on the season (4%)
Baseball earns the bragging rights
MLB led the weekly result accuracy figures at 53%, just above its season mark of 52%. The Royals were the headline success, but there was more to enjoy: Colorado Rockies 5-11 Los Angeles Dodgers rewarded 67% backing for the visitors, while Pittsburgh Pirates 4-1 Detroit Tigers landed another 67% call.
AFL supplied a confident success too. Fremantle beat Adelaide Crows 112-88 with 60% crowd backing. Across the competition, though, result accuracy was 44%, below the season figure of 51%. A good call to savour, rather than a week to get carried away.
Crowd vs reality
Kansas City Royals 9-7 Oakland Athletics
Colorado Rockies 5-11 Los Angeles Dodgers
Pittsburgh Pirates 4-1 Detroit Tigers
Fremantle 112-88 Adelaide Crows
Stoke City 1-2 Swansea City
Oxford United 2-2 Milton Keynes Dons
Football keeps the humble pie coming
The Championship had a particularly awkward result for the crowd: Stoke City 1-2 Swansea City. The away win had 0% backing. Weekly result accuracy finished at 19%, against 25% for the season, with exact scores at 4% compared with 6%.
League One offered no easy escape. The draw in Oxford United 2-2 Milton Keynes Dons had 0% backing, as did the draw in Notts County 1-1 Leicester City. League One result accuracy came in at 12%, below its season figure of 19%, and exact-score accuracy was 0%. Not much room for smug messages there.
A split crowd gets its answer
Bolton Wanderers FC had 37% backing, the draw also had 37%, and Preston North End had 26%. That made Bolton Wanderers FC v Preston North End the week’s most divided fixture.
The result was Bolton Wanderers FC 2-1 Preston North End. The home-win camp got it right, but this was hardly a crowd speaking with one voice. Unlike the Royals call, confidence was spread across the possible outcomes. Plenty of room for a friendly disagreement before that result arrived.
The wider scorecard
League Two recorded 11% result accuracy and 0% exact-score accuracy. La Liga finished at 14% and 1% respectively. Neither offered much relief from a tricky football week.
Eredivisie and Primeira Liga both reached 19% result accuracy, but their exact-score figures differed: 5% in Eredivisie and 3% in Primeira Liga. Eredivisie matched its season exact-score mark, while Primeira Liga matched its season result accuracy.
MLS was the toughest read on result accuracy at 4%, against a season figure of 7%, with exact scores at 0%. Across the football competitions, even the better weekly figures left plenty of room for improvement.
The week ahead
There are no most backed teams listed for the week ahead, so there is no fresh crowd favourite to flag. This week offered both a confident success and some sharp reminders that agreement does not come easily. Get your mates involved, have the friendly argument, and make your calls.