STARMETRO’S 2026 Footnotes Challenge ended with another dramatic finish, and another title for Shaun Orange, who secured his fourth season win and reaffirmed his standing as the competition’s most consistent pundit.
Shaun’s final tally of 1,220 points took him comfortably clear of the chasing pack, in a campaign in which he also achieved a first in the Challenge’s decade-long history: a perfect score week.
In February, Shaun became the first pundit of the Challenge to forecast all four Premier League scorelines exactly. It is described as “a perfect set of four predictions”, and it proved decisive in a campaign where margins matter most.
Jagdev Singh finished runnerup with 1,100 points, consolidating his reputation as one of the Challenge’s most reliable performers. Three-time winner Randeep Singh was third on 920, followed by Adznam (900), Ivan (800) and Hariati (750).
This season’s result also reshaped the alltime scoreboard, where Shaun now leads the roll of honour with four titles (2017, 2019, 2023, 2026), ahead of Randeep’s three (2018, 2020, 2021). Jagdev, Hariati and Ivan each have one win to their name, reflecting the depth and strength of StarMetro’s football punditry.
The Challenge began as a lighthearted extension of the FootNotes column 10 years ago and evolved into a fiercely contested annual battle of football intuition, statistical instinct and sheer nerve.
And once again, in a season defined by tight calls and late swings, the pundit who stayed calm longest − and even found perfection along the way − finished on top.
2026 Footnotes Challenge
Final standings
Name Pts
Shaun 1,220
Jagdev 1,100
Randeep 920
Adznam 900
Ivan 800
Hariati 750
Season winners
Year Name Pts
2017 Shaun 1,380
2018 Randeep 1,180
2019 Shaun 1,260
2020 Randeep 1,080
2021 Randeep 1,010
2022 Jagdev 1,230
2023 Shaun 930
2024 Hariati 1,210
2025 Ivan 1,170
2026 Shaun 1,220
