The Accidental Developer: Why I Built a World Cup App for My Son
It started simply enough. My son, who is almost nine, is completely swept up in World Cup excitement, talking constantly about Messi, Mbappe, and Vinicius Junior. I wanted to help him engage with that passion, so I suggested he find one of those poster rosters from a football magazine to fill in the scores and discuss them with his friends.
Then I thought, why stop there? Why not find an online prediction pool for him and his buddies?
The Problem with “Buy”
That’s where the idea stalled. As I started looking at existing platforms, I saw them through the eyes of a parent. They required a nine-year-old to create an account, they were filled with advertisements, and they were often plastered with gambling-related content. It wasn’t the right environment for children.
The Decision to Build
While total control wasn’t my initial goal, it became the obvious solution. It struck me that it might actually be easier to build something from scratch tailored exactly to our security and fun requirements than to force an existing, flawed solution to fit.
Using Claude, I built a simple web app for just the few weeks of the tournament. Maintenance was manageable—when my son or a dad found a bug, I’d just adjust a few files and rebuild in Home Assistant.
More Than Just Code
The result was fantastic. We didn’t just get a prediction tool; we built a small, vibrant community. It drew in my son’s best friends and their dads, creating a great vibe and friendly competition. My son even proudly showed the app to his teachers and bragged to his friends at school, who then wanted to join in.
The New Low-Code
While Claude won’t replace the thorough thinking needed for enterprise infrastructure, the biggest lesson for me was how accessible development has become for standalone projects. What surprised me wasn’t the software—which was fairly basic—but how powerful the AI tools are today. My takeaway for business leaders is that the division between pro-code and low-code is vanishing. With AI capable of understanding your entire codebase and data estate, the choice to build custom solutions, even for temporary needs, is now a highly practical and cost-effective reality. Pro-code is becoming the new low-code.
