What are the best numbers in football squares?

0 and 7 are the strongest digits, because American football scores are built from 3s and 7s. 3, 4 and 1 are also decent. 2, 5 and 9 are the weakest. None of this helps you pick, though — the numbers are drawn after the squares are sold, so every square has exactly the same chance at the moment you choose it.

When should the numbers be drawn?

Only after every square has been claimed. If the numbers are known while squares are still being sold, people can simply buy the good digits, which breaks the game.

How is the pot usually split?

A common split is 25% at the end of each of the four periods. Another popular structure weights the final score more heavily, such as 10/20/20/50, so the last quarter carries the most value.

What happens if nobody claimed the winning square?

That period simply has no winner. Most groups either roll that share into the next period, split it among the other winners, or refund it. Agree the rule before the game starts.

Can you play with fewer than 100 squares?

Yes. A 25-square grid (5x5) works well for smaller groups. Each row and column covers two digits instead of one, so every square still maps to real scores.

How to play football squares

Football squares is the easiest pool there is: no knowledge of the sport required, nothing to predict, and everyone stays interested until the final whistle. Here is the whole thing in about five minutes.

1. The grid

You start with a 10 × 10 grid — 100 empty squares. One team goes down the left-hand side, the other across the top. Nothing is numbered yet, and that matters: at this stage every square is identical, which is what keeps it fair.

2. Selling the squares

Pick a price per square — $1, $5, $10, whatever suits the group — and let people write their name in as many squares as they like. Plenty of organisers cap it (ten per person is common) so one person cannot buy half the board.

100 squares at $10 makes a $1,000 pot. The money is collected by whoever is running it and paid back out to the winners at the end.

3. Drawing the numbers

Once every square is taken, the digits 0 to 9 are randomly assigned to the ten rows, and then separately to the ten columns. Every square now sits at the intersection of two digits.

Draw the numbers after the grid is full, never before.

This is the one rule that actually matters. If people can see the numbers while squares are still available, they will simply buy the good digits and the pool stops being a game of chance.

4. Working out the winner

At the end of each quarter, take the last digit of each team's score. Find the row with the first team's digit and the column with the second team's. Where they meet is the winning square.

Worked example

The score at the end of the first quarter is 17–13. The last digits are 7 and 3. So whoever owns the square in row 7, column 3 wins that quarter.

A score of 27–23 would pay out the same square — only the final digit counts.

5. Splitting the pot

There are four payouts, one at the end of each period. Two common structures:

Even split

25% at each of the four periods. Simple, and keeps every quarter worth the same.

Weighted to the finish

10% / 20% / 20% / 50%. The final score pays the most, so the end of the game carries real tension.

Whichever you choose, say so before you sell a single square.

Which numbers are best?

Scores in American football are built out of 3s and 7s, so the digits are not equally valuable:

Best: 0 and 7 — by a wide margin.
Decent: 3, 4 and 1.
Weakest: 2, 5 and 9.

This is interesting but not actionable — the numbers are drawn after everyone has picked, so at the moment you choose a square, every square is exactly as good as every other. It only tells you how pleased to look when the draw is done.

Common variations

25 squares (5 × 5). Each row and column covers two digits instead of one. Good when you cannot fill a hundred squares.
New numbers each quarter. Redraw between periods so a single lucky square cannot take the whole pot. Spreads the winnings around a much wider group.
Every score change. Instead of paying at the end of each quarter, pay a small amount on every scoring play. Lively, but a lot of admin on paper.

Running one without the paperwork

The grid is the easy part. The tedious bits are chasing people for money, remembering who has paid, and working out the winners while everyone is talking at you. That is what this site does: you share one link, people claim their own squares, and the winners are worked out automatically at the end of each quarter.

Create a game Read the organiser's guide Or print a blank grid

Disclaimer: This platform is a game management tool only. We do not facilitate gambling. We do not collect or distribute any wager funds. Users are responsible for compliance with local laws.