Best NFL Contests and Football Pools for the 2026 Season: Free and for Real Money

1. TSG Beat the Geek NFL Pick’Em

• Entry Fee: Free
• Prize Pool: Weekly prizes + overall prize + NFL vacation package
• Contest Type: Spread Pick’Em

Beat The Geek is back for the 2026-27 NFL season, and this year there are several ways to win. Players make weekly NFL spread picks and try to finish ahead of The Geek!

The contest is completely free to enter. The top player each week earns a $500 gift card, while the overall regular-season leader gets a $2,500 prize. Every week you finish ahead of The Geek also earns you an entry into the grand prize draw for an NFL vacation package for two.

How to Play:

1. Register for a free account at The Sports Geek.

2. Make your NFL spread picks for eligible Sunday games each week.

3. Submit your picks before the earliest eligible kickoff, typically 1:00 PM ET.

4. Earn one point for every correct spread pick.

         5. Try to finish ahead of The Geek and climb the season-long leaderboard.

Grand Prize:

• Every week you beat The Geek, you receive an entry into a draw for an NFL vacation package for two. The package includes flights and two hotel nights for a 2027 regular-season NFL game.

Consolation Prizes:

• The weekly winner receives a $500 gift card.
• The overall season leader receives a $2,500 prize.
• Three $500 Early Bird prizes and three $500 Referral prizes are also available under the applicable rules.

2. BetNow $20,000 NFL King of the Hill

• Entry Fee: Free
• Prize Pool: $20,000 weekly perfect-card prize + season-long prizes
• Contest Type: Spread Pick’Em

BetNow’s King of the Hill is one of the more interesting free NFL contests available this season. Players make weekly NFL selections while earning points toward the season-long leaderboard.

A perfect weekly entry can win $20,000. Even if you never hit the perfect card, your results matter throughout the regular season because BetNow also rewards the top players on the final leaderboard.

Note that to be eligible for the prizes, you must be an active NFL bettor, which means playing at least twice a week for the entire season.

How to Play:

1. Create or log into your BetNow account.

2. Register for the NFL King of the Hill contest.

3. Submit the required NFL selections for each contest week.

4. Earn points for correct selections.

         5. Continue making picks throughout the 18-week NFL regular season.

Grand Prize:

• A perfect weekly card (as well as the tiebreaker) can win a $20,000 prize.
• The season-long first-place finisher can also earn $20,000.

Consolation Prizes:

• BetNow awards additional season-long cash prizes, with $30,000 distributed among players finishing second through 30th on the leaderboard.

3. BetNow $500,000 Thanksgiving Giveaway Contest

• Entry Fee: Free
• Prize Pool: $500,000
• Contest Type: Moneyline Pick’em

Thanksgiving football is already an all-day event, but BetNow gives bettors another reason to follow the holiday schedule. Its Thanksgiving Giveaway Contest advertises $500,000 in cash prizes for players who correctly predict winners during Thanksgiving weekend.

Unlike season-long NFL contests, this promotion is centered around the Thanksgiving slate, making it a short-term option for bettors who don’t want to commit to 18 weeks of picks.

Similarly to the King of the Hill Contest, you must be active and bet at least twice a week to be eligible for the prizes.

How to Play:

1. Register or log into your BetNow account.

2. Navigate to the Thanksgiving Giveaway Contest when registration opens.

3. Complete the contest entry requirements.

4. Make your required Thanksgiving weekend NFL selections.

         5. Submit all selections before the listed deadline.

Grand Prize:

• $175,000 for the grand prize.

Consolation Prizes:

• 2nd Place: $100,000
• 3rd Place: $50,000
• 4th Place: $25,000
• 5th-30th Place: $6,000

4. MyBookie $100,000 Supercontest

• Entry Fee: $15
• Prize Pool: $100,000
• Contest Type: Spread Pick’Em
• Maximum Entries: 50

Think you can beat NFL point spreads consistently? MyBookie’s $100,000 SuperContest gives you an entire season to prove it.

Players make five NFL picks against the spread every week and earn points based on their results. The goal is to finish with the highest season-long score, but MyBookie also offers quarterly prizes to keep things interesting throughout the year.

How to Play:

1. Register or log into MyBookie.

2. Purchase an entry for $15.

3. Make five NFL spread picks every week.

4. Earn points based on your ATS results.

         5. Finish with one of the top 250 season-long scores to earn a prize.

Players can purchase up to 50 entries. MyBookie is also offering a buy-two-get-one-free promotion through September 14, 2026, with free entries counting toward the 50-entry limit.

Grand Prize:

• First Place: $18,000

Consolation Prizes:

• Second Place: $13,000
• Third Place: $10,000
• 250 total players receive prizes.
• MyBookie also offers a $5,000 quarterly prize pool every four weeks.

5. XBet Football Squares

• Entry Fee: Varies
• Prize Pool: Varies
• Contest Type: Squares

XBet’s football squares offer something completely different.

Players purchase squares on a traditional game grid. Numbers are assigned to the rows and columns, and winners are determined using the final digit of each team’s score at designated points during the game. If you are wondering how to play football squares, check out our guide.

XBet offers squares for NFL and college football games, with the price of individual squares and potential prize pools changing depending on the matchup.

How to Play:

1. Register for an XBet account.

2. Navigate to the available football squares contests.

3. Choose an NFL matchup and contest.

4. Purchase your desired squares on the game board, and wait for the numbers to be assigned.

         5. Then, see whether your square matches the winning score combination.

Grand Prize:

• Prize pools vary by contest and matchup.
• XBet has offered squares at several price points, allowing players to select a contest based on their preferred entry cost. But payouts are as follows:
  • 1st Quarter: 20% of prize pool.
  • 2nd Quarter: 20% of prize pool.
  • 3rd Quarter: 20% of prize pool.
  • Final Score: 40% of prize pool.

6. BetUS $25K Pro Football Pick’em

• Entry Fee: Free
• Prize Pool: $25,000
• Contest Type: Spread Pick’Em

BetUS’ Pro Football Pick’Em is another option for players who want a season-long NFL handicapping challenge without paying an entry fee. However, you should note that to register for the contest, you should have made at least one real-money bet since August 1st, 2026.

Contestants predict the point-spread winner for the NFL schedule and use the Monday Night Football game total as a tiebreaker. Correct selections count toward both weekly prizes and the season-long standings.

How to Play:

1. Register for a BetUS account.

2. Enter the Pro Football Pick’Em contest.

3. Select the point-spread winner for the required NFL games.

4. Enter the Monday Night Football total for tiebreaker purposes.

         5. Accumulate correct picks throughout the regular season.

Grand Prize:

• The player with the most correct picks over the entire NFL season receives a $2,500 free play.

Weekly Prizes:

• First Place: $1,000 Free Play
• Second Place: $250 Free Play
• Third Place: $100 Free Play

7. BetUS 12th Man

• Entry Fee: Free to Register *
• Prize Pool: Up to a $500 Super Sunday Bet **
• Contest Type: Loyalty Contest

BetUS’ 12th Man contest takes a completely different approach. Instead of rewarding you for correctly predicting games, it rewards you for consistently betting on games involving your favorite NFL team.

Choose one team at the start of the contest and place qualifying bets on its games during the regular season. Here’s the unusual part: Your bet does not have to win to count. You simply need to make a qualifying wager on that team’s game. Betting on your team isn’t even necessary, you just need action on the game.

How to Play:

1. Register for the BetUS 12th Man contest and select your NFL team.

2. Place a qualifying real-money wager on that team’s game each week.

3. Your wager can be on the moneyline, point spread, or game total.

4. You do not have to bet on your selected team; you simply need action on its game.

         5. Wins, losses, and pushes all count toward your contest total.

Note that you must have made at least one real-money wager since August 1st, 2026. Also, the weekly wager on your team’s game must be at least $25.

Grand Prize:

• 15 qualifying games: $50 Super Sunday Bet
• 16 qualifying games: $100 Super Sunday Bet
• 17 qualifying games: $500 Super Sunday Bet