How to play football squares
A grid of 100 squares, ten numbers on each side, and the last digit of each team’s score. That is the whole game.
The rules in five steps
- Draw the grid. Ten columns and ten rows. One team goes across the top, the other down the side.
- Sell the squares. Each person writes their name in the squares they buy, at one price per square.
- Draw the numbers. Once all squares are sold, shuffle 0 to 9 across the top and again down the side. Do it at random and after the sale, never before.
- Watch the score. At the end of each quarter, take the last digit of each team’s score.
- Find the winner. The square where the top digit’s column meets the side digit’s row wins that quarter.
A worked example
End of the first quarter: the top team has 17, the side team has 3. The last digits are 7 and 3. Find 7 in the top row and 3 down the side; the name where they cross wins the first quarter. At half time it is 24 to 13: last digits 4 and 3.
Payout splits
On a $5 square with 100 squares sold the pot is $500. Common splits are:
- 25 / 25 / 25 / 25: $125 for each of Q1, half, Q3 and the final.
- 20 / 20 / 20 / 40: $100, $100, $100 and $200 for the final.
- Every score change: the pot is shared across each change in the score, so a high-scoring game pays more people.
If the game goes to overtime, the usual rule is that the overtime score decides the final prize. Say which rule you use before the game starts.
Variants
- 50 squares: ten columns by five rows; each row carries two digits.
- 25 squares: five by five, two digits per row and column, so every square covers four digit pairs.
- Reverse winners: some groups also pay the square with the digits swapped, a small consolation prize.
- Limit per person: cap how many squares one person may hold so more people take part.
Tips for a fair pool
- Write the rules and the split on the board itself.
- Sell every square before you draw the numbers.
- Publish the draw code so anyone can repeat the draw.
- Lock the board after the draw.
Ready to run one? Use the football squares generator.
Keep going
Questions
How many squares are on a board?
The classic board has 100 squares, a 10 by 10 grid. Smaller boards of 50 and 25 squares use two digits per row or column.
Why are the numbers drawn after the squares are sold?
So nobody can choose a square because of its numbers. Every square is equally likely to win until the draw.
Which squares win most often?
Squares with 0, 3 and 7 on both sides tend to come up most, because of how football scores are made up. The random draw keeps that luck fair: everyone has the same chance of getting those numbers.
What happens in overtime?
The common rule is that the score after overtime decides the final prize. Agree it before the game and put it on the board.
Can one person buy several squares?
Yes, unless you set a limit. The auto-fill box takes “Sam x3” to give Sam three squares.
How do I know the numbers were not rigged?
Each draw has a draw code, such as K7QX-92MD, and a time stamp. The code is the seed of the shuffle, so entering it again gives exactly the same numbers. Post the code in your group chat before the game; anyone can check it with the “Check a draw code” box.