Football Drinking Game: Rules and Drink Cards for Any NFL or College Game
The football drinking game works for any NFL or college game: everyone picks a team, everyone gets drink cards for plays and broadcast moments, and a few big moments make the whole room drink. Swap cards every quarter and cap it at one sip per play, and you can play all of a Sunday without being done by the second game.
Jump to: How it works · Team rules · Drink cards · Everyone drinks · NFL, college and bowls · Halftime · Pace it · FAQ
How it works
- Pick a side. Everyone in the room roots for one of the two teams. Split it evenly if the game doesn’t matter to anybody.
- Deal the cards. Each player gets two drink cards: one play card and one broadcast card. Print ours or write them on index cards.
- Sip when your card hits. One sip each time it happens on screen.
- Swap every quarter. Pass your cards to the left at the end of each quarter so nobody is stuck with “Flag on the play” all game.
- One sip per play, max. If a sack, a fumble and a review all happen on one play, you still take one sip. This is the rule that saves your Sunday.
Team rules
These apply to everyone, on top of their cards:
| When your team… | What happens |
|---|---|
| Scores a touchdown | Give out 3 sips to fans of the other team |
| Kicks a field goal | Give out 1 sip |
| Turns it over | You drink 2 |
| Gets a penalty that wipes out a big play | You drink 1, and you can complain about the refs |
| Wins the game | The losing side refills your drink |
Drink cards
Each player draws one card from each list. Swap every quarter.
Play cards
| Card | Sip when… |
|---|---|
| Flag on the play | a penalty is called |
| Holding! | holding is called on either team |
| Sacked | the quarterback gets sacked |
| Turnover | there’s a fumble lost or an interception |
| Fourth and go | a team goes for it on fourth down |
| Doink | a kick hits the upright or crossbar |
| Two for it | a team goes for two |
| Challenge flag | a coach throws the red challenge flag |
Broadcast cards
| Card | Sip when… |
|---|---|
| Replay booth | a play goes to review |
| Coach cam | the camera cuts to a coach yelling |
| Stat graphic | a stat pops up that nobody asked for |
| Fantasy alert | the announcers mention fantasy football |
| Old friend | the announcers mention a player’s former team |
| Weather report | anyone talks about the wind, snow or rain |
| Mom shout-out | the broadcast shows or mentions a player’s family |
| Momentum | an announcer says “momentum” |
Print them: our football drink cards (PDF) has every card on this page, including the college and bowl cards below, ready to cut out.
Everyone drinks
A few plays are big enough that the whole room takes a sip, cards or not:
- A pick-six or a scoop-and-score
- A safety
- A successful onside kick
- A missed extra point
- The game goes to overtime
NFL Sundays, prime time, college and bowl season
NFL Sunday
Three games in a row is a marathon. Play the full card game for one game (your team’s, or the best matchup), and only play the “everyone drinks” moments for the rest. Or switch to water cards: same cards, but each hit means a sip of water.
Thursday and Monday night
Work tomorrow? Play team rules only, no cards. Everyone still gets to complain about the refs.
College Saturday
Swap the broadcast cards for college cards:
| Card | Sip when… |
|---|---|
| Band break | the broadcast cuts to the marching band |
| Student section | the camera shows the student section |
| Mascot | the mascot is on screen |
| Heisman talk | anyone mentions the Heisman |
| Rankings | the announcers mention the playoff rankings |
| Fight song | you can hear a fight song |
Watching at the stadium instead? See our tailgate drinking games.
Bowl season
Bowl season brings a pile of games with sponsors in their names. Add these to the deck:
| Card | Sip when… |
|---|---|
| Full sponsor name | an announcer says a bowl’s full sponsored name |
| NFL Draft | someone mentions a player’s draft stock |
| Opt-out | the broadcast mentions a player who opted out |
| Bowl swag | they talk about the gifts players got |
Big game coming up? Our Super Bowl drinking games plan runs the whole day, from a pregame bracket to fourth-quarter fan pong.
Halftime: get off the couch
Halftime is the only stretch without football, so use it.
- Flip cup, team vs. team: line up by the teams you picked. Losers wear the other team’s colors in the third quarter, if anyone has a jersey.
- A 6 cup beer pong game: one fan of each team per side. Short enough to finish before kickoff.
- Quarters: for when nobody wants to stand up.
Pace it
A football broadcast runs more than three hours. Even sips add up over that long, so:
- Sips, never chugs. And remember the one-sip-per-play cap.
- Water during commercials. There are a lot of them.
- Eat something by the second quarter. Wings count.
- Water cards are not lame. Every rule on this page works with water, soda or candy. Plan rides home before kickoff.
FAQ
What are the rules of the football drinking game?
Everyone picks a team and gets one play card and one broadcast card. Sip when your card happens, follow the team rules for scores and turnovers, and swap cards every quarter. Never more than one sip per play.
How do you play a drinking game during an NFL game?
Use team rules for scores and turnovers, add drink cards like “Flag on the play” and “Replay booth,” and have everyone drink for big moments like a pick-six or a safety. For a full Sunday, play cards for one game only.
Is there a college football drinking game?
Yes. Play the same game and swap the broadcast cards for college cards: the band, the mascot, the student section, Heisman talk and playoff rankings.
How do you not get wrecked during a football drinking game?
Cap it at one sip per play, drink water during commercials, and only play cards for one game on a multi-game day.
Can you play without drinking?
Yes. Use water, soda or candy, or keep score: one point per card hit, and the lowest score at the final whistle wins.
More game-day plans: Super Bowl drinking games, Thanksgiving drinking games and tailgate drinking games, or see all our party games.
Planning the whole season? See the beer pong party calendar.