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Football Drinking Games

Amelia WalkerBy Amelia Walker Senior Content Writer Updated: 10 February 2023
Amelia Walker Amelia Walker Senior Content Writer

Amelia Walker is a Senior Content Writer at Betting.US. She has a law degree and deep knowledge of the gambling laws in the United States. Her mission is to keep players informed about responsible gambling, while her passion for sports helps her create useful guides. Amelia has over a decade of experience in betting, which has positioned her as a trusted voice among our readers.

​A quarterback holding beer Hockey Drinking Games

One of the best ways to enhance your NFL watching experience is to play a football drinking game with some friends. This is a great way to spend a night on the weekends that will leave you feeling excited and intoxicated. Why not merge these two great American pastimes into one activity?

Throughout this guide, you’ll find football games drinking games for NFL and NCAA events, and a popular game to try during the Super Bowl. We’ve provided the Set-Up instructions and the Rules for each activity, so you’ll just need to supply the booze and the venue.

What are Drinking Games?

Drinking games are a popular and varied activity that takes many forms. Generally speaking, they are played among a group of people and require players to drink alcohol after the occurrence of a particular event. While inebriation is inevitable, it’s important to set reasonable drink volumes so that the activity is responsible.

Players who don’t want to drink alcohol can also play along with soda, as the fun tends to derive from being required to drink when an undesirable outcome happens. You can also make wagers on games at legal football betting sites in addition to playing this game to add another surprising element to the mix.

Below, you’ll find jump links to each drinking game. You can either click on these to head to each game or keep scrolling to learn them all.

NFL Drinking Game

With nearly 300 games held over the 18-week regular season, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to enjoy an NFL football drinking game. Whether you play along while watching your favorite team or are simply in it for the challenge, this drinking game is bound to keep you and your friends on your toes.

The Set-Up

Firstly, choose a game that you want to watch and assemble a group of competitive friends. Ensure you have enough drinks to last the game for as many people as are there — we always suggest over-buying to avoid the risk of running out. Set the volume of alcohol that you want to consume for each occurrence, whether it be a sip, a shot, or a whole drink. You’re now good to go.

The Rules

As soon as the game kicks off you’ll need to watch closely for each event. You can split this game into two teams depending on who backs who or have every person play for themselves. The more common an event, the less you’ll need to drink, while rare events are penalized with larger consumptions.

Firstly, have 1 drink every time:

  • The other team scores
  • When a player you’ve wagered on punts
  • The other team gets a first down
  • Your team loses yards after a play

Have 2 drinks every time:

  • Your quaterback’s throw is intercepted
  • Your quarterback is sacked
  • Your team’s field goal attempt is missed

Have 3 drinks every time:

  • A player on your team is injured
  • When the other team gains 20+ yards from an offensive play
  • The other team runs back a kickoff or an interception and earns a touchdown

Have 4 drinks every time:

  • When a player on your team is involved in another player’s injury
  • When a player on your team performs a touchdown dance
  • For every turnover
  • When the other team catches a Hail Mary throw

NCAA Drinking Game

While some states may not allow betting on NCAA football competition, there’s nothing stopping you from enhancing a game with a good drinking game. Held between August and December every year, you’ll have three months to play along. The National Championship is held in January and is also a great way to spend a Winter night.

The Set-Up

Set-up is identical to that for the NFL games. This game is especially enjoyable when players who have attended one of the competing colleges or are from the same state are at the party, and you can add your own rules to acknowledge this. Make sure you have plenty of food prepared.

The Rules

Before you begin, it can be helpful to have several drinks measured out. It can be better to play with sips of beer as opposed to hard liquor for a more prolonged, responsible and sustainable game. The rules are as follows:

Firstly, have 1 drink every time:

  • The other team gets a first down
  • A penalty flag is thrown against your team
  • The College Football Playoff trophy is mentioned or shown
  • The announcer mentions the location of the game
  • Your team’s last national championship win is mentioned

Have 2 drinks every time:

  • The crowd does a “War Eagle”
  • The other team scores a touchdown
  • The other team makes a field goal
  • An announcer mentions a player’s academic record
  • Your quarterback is sacked
  • An announcer mentions the teams’ historical rivalry
  • The other team’s cheerleaders are shown
  • A safety occurs

Have 3 drinks every time:

  • Your team misses a field goal
  • Your team fumbles the football
  • Your team misses an extra point
  • A commercial for your team’s university is shown
  • The game goes into overtime

When the game is in overtime, all drink values are doubled. If your team loses the game, you need to finish a whole drink, as well as the same volume of drinks that are in your opponents’ cups.

Super Bowl Drinking Game

There is no other sporting event in the US annual calendar that is more anticipated than the Super Bowl. With many people already used to attending Super Bowl parties, what better way is there to add some excitement to the festivities than to enjoy a drinking game?

The Set-Up

Depending on the size of your Super Bowl party, you’ll want to make sure that there are plenty of food and drinks for the guests. It’s helpful to all have the same sized cups for this game to keep things fair. Make sure you have the best TV and sound system possible to make for an epic day.

The Rules

The rules of this game are similar to our other games, but take into account distinct aspects of the event such as the half-time show and the commercials. Feel free to chop and change the rules with the other games as suits you best, and feel free to add your own.

Have 1 drink every time:

  • The other team gets a first down
  • A penalty flag is thrown against your team
  • An announcer mentions Super Bowl rings
  • A player on your team dances after a touchdown
  • When a beer commercial plays

Have 2 drinks every time:

  • The other team scores a touchdown
  • The other makes a 20-yard play
  • The other team makes a field goal
  • Your quarterback is sacked
  • The other team’s mascot appears
  • A celebrity at the game is shown on screen
  • A safety occurs
  • When the Doritos commercial airs
  • When a GoDaddy commercial airs

Have 3 drinks every time:

  • Your team misses a field goal
  • A surprise guest performs in the half-time show
  • US Politics or politicians are discussed by the announcers
  • Your team fumbles the football
  • The other team wins the coin toss

Finish your drink if:

  • The other team scores a 40+ yard touchdown
  • Your team loses the Super Bowl
  • Your coach is shown swearing or melting down

Frequently Asked Questions

If you still have more questions about football drinking games then keep reading. In the following section, we’ve answered some commonly asked questions about this entertaining topic. If you’re looking for more information relating to each answer, click on the links to jump up to the relevant sections.

What are sports drinking games?

For those who have yet to try them before, sports drinking games are an exciting way to make watching your favorite sports more exciting and immersive. Essentially, players need to drink when a certain event in the game or related to the broadcast occurs. These can be played in teams of two or individually.
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