How to Organize & Play Football Squares

Football Squares is one of the most popular Super Bowl games. It’s easy to set up and play, and it’s a great way to add extra excitement to a football party! We’re here to show you how football squares work, including tips on setting up the grid, recruiting players, choosing winners, and dividing up the prizes.

How do football squares work?

Gather a group of players and ask each person to pay a set amount of money to enter the game. Assign teams and score numbers to a 10x10 grid, then have players bet on 1 square on the grid. Whoever's numbers match the scores for each quarter wins!

Section 1 of 7:

Creating a Football Squares Grid

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1
Draw a 10x10 grid on a large poster board with a permanent marker. Make sure each square is large enough to write your players’ initials and numbers. Use a ruler to keep your lines straight as you draw. ^{[1]
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Research source} The grid should have 100 squares in all—1 for each bet.
- If you don’t want to draw the grid, create one in a word processing program or download a pre-made football squares grid and print it out on 8 in × 10 in (20 cm × 25 cm) printer paper.
2
Label the rows and columns from 0 to 9. Starting with the top row, write one number from 0–9 above each square. Repeat this going down the columns on the left side of the grid. Each square represents a potential score outcome for the game. ^{[2]
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- Some people number the board in a random order after players buy squares since certain numbers (like 0, 3, and 7) are more likely to win. If you number the board after the squares are sold, wait until the players are gathered together, and use a random method like drawing numbers from a hat to make sure it’s fair for everyone.
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3
Assign 2 football teams to the board—1 across the top and 1 on the side. Write the name of 1 team at the top of the board. The numbers there will represent their scores. Write the name of the other team on the side of the board. Their scores will be reflected by the numbers written on that side. ^{[3]
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- Make your game board look a little more fun by printing out each team’s logo and gluing or taping it on their side of the board!

Section 2 of 7:

Distributing the Squares

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As you talk with the people you know throughout the week, just ask, “Are you watching the Superbowl this weekend?” If they say yes, follow up with, “Would you be up for a game of Football Squares?” Inform anyone who seems interested on how you’ll be running the game. ^{[4]
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2
Charge your participants a $1 fee to choose a square from the board. Charging a $1 fee for each square will allow everyone to participate. It will also accumulate into a decent prize to reward your winners. ^{[5]
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- You can charge a higher fee if you want—some people charge $5 or even $10 per square.
3
Distribute your squares among as many people as you can. You can have up to 100 players for football squares, but don’t worry if you can’t find that many people to play the game, as long as all of the squares are claimed. Ask each player if they’d like to purchase more than one square. If you can, try to distribute an equal amount of squares per person so everyone has about the same chance of winning. ^{[6]
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- You can even get in on the fun by buying a few squares for yourself!
4
Write each player’s initials inside a square of their choosing. Let each player pick whatever square they want. This allows them to essentially bet on final scores for both teams. You can either ask players which square they want and write in their initials for them, or let them come up to the board to choose and write their initials themselves. ^{[7]
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- If you want to randomize the game, draw numbers from a hat instead of letting players pick their own number. ^{[8]
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- If two people have the same initials, use their first names or short nicknames to avoid confusion.

Section 3 of 7:

Playing Football Squares

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1
Gather your players together to watch the football game. Football Squares is meant to be a party game, so it’s best played as part of a football party . Throw the party at your home and invite all of your players.
- If any players can’t make it to the party, that’s okay—let them know you’ll contact them via text or phone if they win the game.
2
Assign a winner at the end of each quarter based on each team’s scores. At the end of each quarter, look at the last digit of the score for the team written across the top of the board and find the column for that number. Then, look at the last digit of the score for the team written on the side of the board and find the row with that number. The winner is the person who bought the square where that row and column meet.
- Let’s say you have the Green Bay Packers written at the top of the board and the Texas Longhorns on the side of the board. During the first quarter, the Packers score a 10, while the Longhorns score 15. The winner for that quarter would have chosen the square in column 0 (the second digit of the Packers score) and row 5 (the second digit of the Longhorns score).
3
Award the players their prizes as they win. To ensure everyone feels the game is fair, it’s best to agree on how you’ll distribute the winnings ahead of time. Each quarter, when you choose a winner, give the player their prize. Here are some common options for prize distribution: ^{[9]
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- Give 25% of the cash prize to the winners of each quarter. ^{[10]
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- Award 10% to the winners of the first 3 quarters and the remaining 70% to the final winner.
- Give 10% to the winner of the first quarter, 20% to the winners of the second and third quarters, and 50% to the winner of the final quarter.
- Award 15% each to the winners of the first 3 quarters and 55% to the winner of the last quarter.
- Give the first winner 10%, the second 20%, the third 30%, and the last winner 40%.

Section 4 of 7:

What if the game goes into overtime?

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Use the final score in place of the 4th quarter score. Most people offer a bigger reward for the person who wins the final prize, so this prize is typically based on the game's final score. If the game you’re watching goes into overtime, use the overtime results instead of giving a prize to the 4th quarter winner. ^{[11]
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- Be sure everyone knows the overtime rules before the game starts to avoid any confusion.

Section 5 of 7:

What if the score doesn’t change from one quarter to the next?

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If the score stays the same for more than one quarter, the same square will win at the end of the next quarter. To avoid this, some people use different numbers across the top and side of the board for each quarter (or half).

Section 6 of 7:

What if all of the squares aren’t filled?

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Make a plan before the game starts if a blank square wins. Sometimes all of your squares won’t sell before the game starts—consider offering a discount on any remaining squares, like 4 squares for a dollar to any remaining players. But if the squares do stay empty, make sure you decide ahead of time what you’ll do so everyone’s on the same page. Here are some options if you have blank a blank square wins:
- Split the prize money between the other winners
- Split the money between anyone with a square that touches the empty one (typically top, bottom, left, and right)
- The next square to the right wins

Section 7 of 7:

What are the best numbers for football squares?

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The best numbers for football squares are 0, 3, and 7. Touchdowns are worth 7 points (with a successful extra point), and field goals are worth 3 points, so these numbers (or combinations of them) frequently appear in football scores. If those are already taken, 1, 4, 6, and 9 are also good options. ^{[12]
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- The least likely numbers to win are the numbers 2, 5, and 8.

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Does the home team go on top or bottom?

Tucker Lindsey

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Usually, the home team goes on the top but this can be adjusted.

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What's the rules for prices if the boxes of 100 aren't filled completely?

Rushprint nyc

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Price to be paid only for the received and full boxes. If there is an agreement before the deal, it is better to go accordingly.

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Do the numbers go up or down?

Ellie Barry

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The numbers should go in a random order after everyone has chosen their squares to randomize it.

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You can also distribute other prizes alongside or instead of money. Some good alternative prizes include fun football memorabilia (like mini helmets, player bobbleheads, or team flags) or gift cards. Give the final winner the greatest prize! ^{[13]
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Another way for payout can be by dividing the total pot money with how many score changes there are. Payouts are given at the end of the game. For example: The "Big Game" of 2022 had 19 score changes. So divide the total pot by 19 and each winner got that portion. Plus you have the chance that you may hit a couple times on the same box.
Don't label rows and columns with numbers until all squares have been assigned. That way, players don't get to choose which number squares they are betting on because some squares like 0, 3 and 7 are way more likely to win.

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How to Organize & Play Football Squares

How do football squares work?

Steps

Creating a Football Squares Grid

Distributing the Squares

Playing Football Squares

What if the game goes into overtime?

What if the score doesn’t change from one quarter to the next?

What if all of the squares aren’t filled?

What are the best numbers for football squares?

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