Football party bingo

How to play football party bingo while you watch

The page opens with the "On the field" list loaded. Use Start from above the word box to switch to "Party and halftime", or paste both lists into the box for a mixed card where a fumble and the last chip in the bowl count the same. Cut anything that will not happen at your party (no dog, no kids outside) and add your own: the dish your host always makes, the player your uncle never stops talking about. Your edited list is kept in this browser for next time.

How many cards, and how to mark them

Print one card per person watching, plus a few spares for late arrivals. The default is 20 cards on 10 sheets, 2 per page. Every card uses a different 24 of the words in a different order, so two neighbours on the couch will not fill the same line at the same moment. Hand out pens, a highlighter, or a bowl of cereal to use as markers.

There is no caller. When something on your card happens, on screen or in the room, mark it. Agree two house rules before kickoff: a play counts when it stands, so a touchdown taken back on review does not count; and a replay of the same play is not a second mark. Penalties count when the flag is thrown and announced, even if the play is long over.

Winning: a line, then blackout by the final whistle

The first player with five in a row, across, down or diagonally, through the free space if it helps, shouts "Bingo" and reads the squares out; anyone in the room can confirm them. Keep playing after the first line. The second game is blackout: every square marked by the final whistle. Be realistic about how far it will get. Some plays on the field list, like a safety, an onside kick, a pick six or overtime, may not happen at all in a given game, so a full blackout of the field list is rare. If nobody gets there, the player with the most marked squares at the final whistle wins. For a blackout that usually finishes, use the party list, or remove the rare plays.

Smaller cards, younger players

For children who are watching with the grown-ups, choose 3x3 and the party list: "Nachos", "High fives" and "Face paint" are easy to spot and easy to read. A 4x4 card without the free space is a middle ground for a game where you want each line to take a quarter or two. Keep entries short: anything over about 20 characters prints in smaller type so it fits the square.

Printing

Press Download PDF for a file of the cards, or Print cards to print straight from the browser (set scale to 100% and margins to Default). Two per page gives each card about half a sheet of Letter or A4. There is no caller sheet and no calling cards for this game, because nothing is called: the game itself is the caller.