How Do You Play Football Squares?

Start by drawing a grid with 10 rows and 10 columns, creating 100 individual squares.

Write one team’s name across the top and the other team’s name down the left side. Leave space above each column and beside each row for the numbers, which you’ll assign later.

You can draw your own grid on poster board, print a ready-made template, or use an online football squares generator.

Next, decide how much each square will cost. Common prices include $1, $5, $10, and $20, although some pools charge more.

For example, if you charge $10 per square and sell all 100 squares, you’ll have a $1,000 prize pool.

Before collecting money, decide how you’ll divide the winnings. Two popular options are:

• Equal payouts: Each quarter’s winner receives 25% of the total prize pool.
• Final-score bonus: The first three quarters pay 20% each, while the final score pays 40%.

Make sure everyone understands the payout rules before the game begins.

Once you’ve created your grid, let participants choose their squares.

Players can purchase more than one square, and their names should be written inside the boxes they select. It’s best to collect payment before confirming each entry.

Try to sell all 100 squares before the game starts. If you can’t fill the board, establish a clear policy for empty squares or refunds before assigning the numbers.

After all the squares have been claimed, randomly assign the digits 0 through 9 across the top and down the left side of the grid.

Each number should appear exactly once for each team.

You can draw numbers from a hat, use playing cards, or let an online generator handle the process.

Important: Always assign the numbers after participants have selected their squares. This keeps the game fair and prevents players from choosing squares based on their preferred score combinations.

Once the football game begins, keep an eye on the scoreboard.

Most football squares pools award prizes at the end of the first quarter, halftime, third quarter, and final score.

Some pools only pay the final winner, while others use different payout structures. Either way, the winning square is determined using the last digit of each team’s score.

Suppose the Kansas City Chiefs are playing the Buffalo Bills.

At the end of a quarter, Kansas City leads Buffalo 27-20.

You only care about the last digit of each score. Kansas City’s number is therefore 7, while Buffalo’s number is 0.

If Kansas City is listed across the top of the grid, find 7 along the top. Then find 0 on Buffalo’s side of the grid. Follow the row and column until they meet.

The player who owns that square wins the prize for that quarter.

In our example, Cliff owns the winning square.

If each of the 100 squares costs $10, the prize pool is $1,000. Under a winner-take-all format, Cliff receives the entire amount.

However, if the pool awards 25% of the pot each quarter, Cliff would receive $250 for winning that scoring period. With a 20/20/20/40 payout structure, the final-score winner would collect $400.

Remember, the order of the numbers matters. A 0-7 square is different from a 7-0 square because each number belongs to a specific team.

Once you identify the winning square, award the prize based on the payout structure established before the game.

Repeat the process at each scheduled payout point.

If your pool awards prizes after all four quarters, there can be four winning squares. The same person could also win more than once if the scores produce the same combination.