How to pick football squares numbers fairly
Updated July 8, 2026
The fair way to assign football squares numbers is to sell all the squares first, then randomly assign a digit from 0 to 9 to each row and column. Doing the draw after the squares are claimed — and using a sealed method anyone can check — means no one can pick a square because they already know it has good numbers.
Why does the order matter?
The single most important rule is to assign the numbers after the squares are claimed, not before. If the numbers are on the grid while people are still choosing squares, someone can grab a square they know has strong digits — and the game isn't fair anymore.
How do you draw the numbers fairly?
Once every square is taken, assign a digit from 0 to 9 to each row and each column in random order. Do it in front of everyone, or use a method people can verify afterward — the point is that the result can't be steered by whoever runs the raffle.
What does a verifiable draw mean?
A verifiable draw seals the random result before anyone claims a square (publishing a fingerprint of it), then reveals it when sales close. Anyone can re-check that the numbers shown match the sealed result — so the organizer couldn't have changed them.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Printing the numbers on the grid before the squares are sold.
- Letting the organizer place the numbers by hand instead of drawing them at random.
- Drawing where no one can see it, with no way to check afterward.
Frequently asked questions
When should you assign football squares numbers?
After every square is claimed — never before. Assigning the digits once the grid is full is what keeps anyone from choosing a square because they already know its numbers.
How do you make a squares draw fair?
Assign each row and column a random digit from 0 to 9 after the squares are sold, and do it openly or with a method people can verify afterward so the result can't be steered.
Can the organizer rig the numbers?
Not with a sealed, verifiable draw. When the random result is committed before any square is claimed and revealed at lock, anyone can check the numbers weren't changed.
Keep reading
- How do football squares work?A plain-English guide to football squares: the 10×10 grid, how the numbers are drawn, how winners are decided by the score, and how a squares raffle raises money for a nonprofit.
- Football squares prize structures: how the money is splitHow to split a football squares prize fund across the game — quarter by quarter, with the final worth the most — plus season-long and marquee-game structures, with example tables.
Set up a season-long football raffle for your cause in minutes.
Run a raffle for your group