Last man standing football
Last man standing is the simplest football prediction game there is: pick one team to win each week, and if they don't, you're out. It works for a group chat, an office or your Sunday team. Here are the rules, the questions to settle before week one, and a simple way to keep track.
By Squadcard. Last updated .
In short
- Each round, every player picks one team to win its next match.
- Win and you're through to the next round; a draw or a loss and you're out.
- You can't pick the same team twice in one game.
- The last player left wins; if everyone left goes out in the same round, agree beforehand whether they share it or all go through.
- Settle the rules before round one: deadlines, postponements and missed picks.
How it works
- Choose a league to play on, usually the Premier League, or a tournament.
- Before each round's deadline, every player picks one team to win.
- If your team wins, you go through. If it draws or loses, you're out.
- Once you've picked a team, you can't pick it again in this game, so saving the strong teams for later matters.
- The game ends when one player is left.
Rules to agree before round one
- Deadline: picks in before the round's first kick-off, or before each pick's own kick-off.
- Missed pick: out, or given a team (say, the first team alphabetically you haven't used).
- Postponed match: usually you go through, and that team counts as used.
- Everyone out in the same round: they share the win, or they all go back in for another round.
- Running out of teams: with 20 teams and lots of rounds, agree what happens if someone has used them all (for example, all picks become available again).
A template to keep track
A table is all you need: one row per player, one column per round, the pick in each cell, and the cell marked out when a pick fails. Pin it in the group chat after every round. After two rounds it might read: Sam, Arsenal (won), Chelsea (won), through; Priya, Liverpool (won), Brighton (drew), out; Tom, Newcastle (lost), out in round one.
Keep a second list of the teams each player has used, so nobody picks one twice. Keep it to bragging rights: once there's an entry fee and a prize, the rules on prize competitions and betting where you live apply, so check them first.
Games for your own football group
If your group plays as well as watches, there's more to argue about. Squadcard has everyone rate each other after your own weekly game, with a player of the match and a Team of the Week to share. Or settle it with the daily penalty shootout and football quiz.
Play the minigamesQuestions
How does last man standing football work?
Each round every player picks one team to win. If it wins, they go through; a draw or a loss knocks them out. You can't pick the same team twice, and the last player left wins.
What happens if your team draws in last man standing?
In the usual rules a draw is as bad as a loss: you're out.
Can you pick the same team twice in last man standing?
No. Once you've used a team, you can't pick it again in that game.
What happens if everyone gets knocked out in the same week?
Agree it before you start: the usual choices are that everyone left shares the win, or they all go back in for another round.
What happens if a match is postponed?
Most groups put the player through and count the team as used. Agree it before round one.