Football squares (also called a football pool, a squares pool or Super Bowl squares) is the one game the whole party can play without knowing a thing about football. You buy a square on a 10 by 10 grid, the numbers 0 to 9 get drawn across the top and down the side, and at the end of each quarter the last digit of each team's score points at one winning square.
How football squares work
Fill the 100 squares
Everyone puts a name in a square. Someone who bought 4 squares goes in 4 times.
Draw the numbers
0 to 9 across the top for one team, 0 to 9 down the side for the other, in a random order.
Check every quarter
Take the last digit of each score. Where that column and row meet is the winning square.
Say the Lions are on top and the Packers on the side, and it is Lions 17, Packers 14 at halftime. The winning square sits in the Lions 7 column and the Packers 4 row. Nobody knows which square that will be until the numbers are drawn, which is why the numbers are drawn after every square is sold.
Who draws the numbers, and why it matters
The usual way is the host pulling numbers out of a cup, and the usual complaint is that nobody else saw it. Some digits are worth a lot more than others (0, 7, 3 and 4 come up far more often as last digits than 2, 5 or 9), so a pool full of real money will notice if the host ends up with the good ones.
Here the numbers come from two matches, one per team. Ten wrestlers named 0 to 9 fight it out, and the order they finish in is the order across the top, last one standing first. The result is locked to the board link, so everyone who opens it sees the same numbers and can watch the same two matches. Names are locked the moment the numbers are drawn, so nobody can slide into a better square afterwards.
Football squares template, filled in for you
Most football squares templates are a blank grid to print and fill in by hand. This one does the boring parts:
- Paste a list. 25 names fills the board 4 squares each, placed at random.
- Edit any square. Tap it and type, for the person who buys a square late.
- Shuffle. Mix the names up again until the numbers are drawn.
- Print it. A clean black and white grid for the wall.
- Save the group. My boards keeps the names in your browser for a week. A plan keeps every board for good.
- Check a quarter. Type the score and the winning square lights up.
Payouts and the usual rules
A common split pays 4 times a game: 20% at the end of each of the first 3 quarters and 40% for the final score. Some pools pay 25% for every quarter. If the game goes to overtime, the final score includes it. Agree the split and the price per square before anyone pays, and put both in the message with the board link. The board only does the draw. It does not take money or pay anyone.
Thanksgiving, the Super Bowl and every week in between
Squares pools run hottest on Thanksgiving and for the Super Bowl, when half the room is watching for the commercials anyway. Save your group in My boards, then use "New board, same names" when the next game comes round. Free keeps one board for a week; a plan keeps as many as you like.
Football squares FAQ
Is the number draw random?
Yes. Each set of numbers comes from a seeded match tied to the board. Nobody can predict it before the draw, and the same board link always shows the same numbers, so the host cannot redraw it quietly.
Can people see the numbers before the game?
Yes, once they are drawn. Everyone with the link can watch the two matches that decide them, or tap to show the numbers straight away.
What if we do not sell all 100 squares?
Draw anyway. An empty square simply wins nothing. Many pools roll that quarter's money into the next one, or split it between everyone. Decide which before the game.
Can one person have more than one square?
Yes. Put their name in once for every square they bought, or fewer names repeat to fill the board automatically.
Is there a printable version?
Yes. The Print button prints just the board in black and white, with the team names and numbers on it.
Do I need an account?
No. Building the board, drawing the numbers, saving your group in this browser and sharing the link are all free.
Running a sweep for the Melbourne Cup instead? The Melbourne Cup sweep generator draws horses the same way.
Build your squares board
Fill the grid, draw the numbers with two matches, send one link the whole pool can check.
Make a Board