From 5th February 2026, Xbox will begin the hunt for football’s unluckiest fan.
For many football fans, the fear that their presence, rituals, or even the way they watch a match could somehow jinx their team is more than just superstition – it feels deeply real. Now, for the first time, football fans will be able to find out if they really are the reason behind their teams’ bad luck.
Xbox has teamed up with leading sports data analysts Opta to develop the first-ever fan-based football statistic that puts science behind superstition.
Introducing xJ (expected jinx).
Developed in partnership with Opta’s Data & Analysis Lead Jonny Whitmore and powered by Opta’s Live Win Probability data, the xJ analyses how and where fans watch football to measure the impact their presence could be having on the results.
The xJ score is the first-ever attempt to quantify superstition in football. Fans can upload their matchday viewing data from throughout the season and work out if they impacted their team’s results positively or negatively, and by how much.
The fans that rank among the highest xJ scores will be in with a chance to officially be named football’s unluckiest fan. While it may be an unwanted title, the fan will be offered an exclusive Xbox sponsorship featuring all of the games and hardware required to remove themselves from the game entirely for the rest of the season.
No watching. No checking scores. Just playing EA SPORTS FC to help their team remain on the right side of the good luck coin and achieve success.
Jonny Whitmore, Opta’s Director of Analytics:
“We know football fans are desperate to see their team succeed, relishing the bragging rights that come with topping the league and the stats leaderboards. We’ve developed this new statistic to hold up a mirror to all the supporters who think they may be inadvertently damaging their team’s chances of winning, even if it comes at the cost of watching their team play.”
Mohan Gehlot, Xbox Senior Global Product Manager:
“However rational they may seem, the rituals and good luck charms that accompany a matchday are sacred to fans who are desperate to influence a win. The xJ calculator is Xbox’s celebration of these weird and wonderful superstitions that unite all of us fans, and we’re glad we can help out the unluckiest fans by providing the Xbox rewards they’ll need to play Xbox instead so they can’t jinx any future games!”