For Sabbath Observers: The Match That Won’t Count in World Cup Fantasy

To preserve fairness, the first match in the Round of 16 will not be included. The explanation is below.

Sport 5, published: 11.06.26, 10:49 (GETTY) | Photo: Sport 5

Channel 5 Sport and Bank Yahav’s World Cup Fantasy will kick off today (Thursday), alongside the opening match of the World Cup between Mexico and South Africa. We are already moving ahead to the knockout stages with an important update. The Round of 32 in the tournament will conclude during Saturday, July 4, in the early morning hours, while the Round of 16 will begin later that same day in the evening.

To keep the game fair, for the sake of Sabbath observers, it has been decided that the first match in the Round of 16 will not count toward the Fantasy World Cup scoring. This will allow us to extend the transfer window until after Shabbat ends and will enable observant players to build an updated lineup for this stage. Players from both national teams taking part in the first Round of 16 match will be grayed out, so they cannot be selected, and in any case this match will not be part of our fantasy game.

Good luck to all the coaches, veterans and newcomers alike, and happy World Cup. World Cup 2026 Did you spot a language mistake?