I Built a Free Live Football Prediction Game - Here’s the Story Behind It

Denver Jackson — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 10:50:11 +0000

I Built a Free Live Football Prediction Game — Here's the Story Behind It

I've been running live football watchalongs on YouTube for five years. Every week, people tune in to watch matches together — shouting at the screen, calling goals before they happen, losing their minds when they're right.

That last part — calling it — is what sparked the idea.

There's something uniquely satisfying about predicting a goalscorer two minutes before it happens and watching it land. But there was nowhere to do it properly. Prediction apps existed, but they were slow, and none of them captured the feeling of being in the match as it happened.

So I built one.

What is CalledItMate?

CalledItMate is a free live football prediction game. You predict goalscorers, correct scores, and key match moments across the world's biggest leagues — in real time, as the action happens.

The thing that makes it different: points land the second the game proves you right. Not at full time. Not after some delay. The actual second the event happens.

There are multiple prediction markets. Some lock in before kick-off — like predicting the exact final score. Others are rolling in-play markets that reset after every goal, giving you a new prediction window right up until the final whistle.

Your points accumulate across every match you play and count toward your position on the monthly seasonal leaderboard.

Real cash prizes. Completely free.

The top 3 players at the end of each monthly season win real cash — typically £100 for 1st, £60 for 2nd, £40 for 3rd. No entry fee. No deposit. No subscription. Nothing to pay at any stage.

The prize money comes out of my own pocket. No investors, no gambling operation behind it — just a personal investment in the community I've spent five years building. The long-term goal is sponsorship or a proper gambling licence for bigger prize pools, but until then I fund every season myself and pay winners directly.

Why free?

Because the community that inspired it shouldn't have to pay to be part of it. The watchalong audience built this — it felt right to give something back.

The technical side

CalledItMate is built as a solo project — every line of code, every feature, every bug fix. The real-time grading is the part I'm most proud of: every goal, every final whistle triggers an instant sweep that resolves predictions the moment the event happens. That's what makes the points feel alive rather than just a number updating hours later.

Coverage spans the Premier League, Champions League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1, World Cup, European football and dozens more competitions worldwide. New markets are being added as the platform grows.

How to play

Go to calleditmate.com and create a free account — takes under a minute
Pick any upcoming or live match
Make your predictions — goalscorer, correct score, next team to score, and many more to come
Watch the points land in real time
Check the leaderboard and see where you stand

That's it. No tutorial needed, no money required.

Where it goes from here

The platform is growing. More markets, more competitions, and eventually — once the numbers are there — a proper regulated prize structure with bigger pools.

If you're a football fan who watches matches anyway, there's no reason not to try it. It makes every moment matter in a way passive watching never does.

Play free at calleditmate.com

DEV Community: Denver Jackson