The matchup and the board
The teams are not known until the conference championships, so build the board with placeholders such as AFC champion and NFC champion, or wait until the matchup is set and add the real names. The generator does not care when you create the board; the title, teams and payout split can be changed later. What matters is that the grid is ready before guests arrive and that the numbers are not drawn until every square has an owner.
Why a 100-square board still works
A 10×10 board gives 100 people or entries a small, equal stake and creates four chances to win across the game. It fits on one printed page, which is why it survives every app and spreadsheet. If the party is smaller than 100 people, use the 5×5 board: 25 squares, two digits per row and column, and four score combinations per square. The smaller board fills faster and pays smaller prizes at the same buy-in, so decide which trade-off fits the room.
Set the buy-in and payout split
Two splits cover almost every party. The even split pays 25 percent at the end of Q1, halftime, Q3 and the final. The weighted split pays 20/20/20/40 and makes the final score worth double. On a $10 board with all 100 squares sold, the pot is $1,000: $250 per period on the even split, or $200, $200, $200 and $400 on the weighted one. Print the dollar amounts on the board and decide whether the final includes overtime. Both answers belong in the header, not in a group chat.
When to draw the numbers
Draw after all 100 squares are claimed and before kickoff. That order is the whole point of the pool: nobody knows which digits their square will carry when they buy in. If guests are still claiming squares at kickoff, either wait a few minutes or draw anyway and mark the remaining squares as unsold. Do not let late arrivals choose a square after the numbers are visible. For a party, have one guest draw the column digits and another draw the row digits, reading each one aloud. The small bit of theater proves the host did not control the draw.
Print it, save it or share a link
For a house party, print the board and tape it near the food. For a party with remote friends, create an online pool: everyone gets the same public link, squares are claimed with a tap, and the host locks the board to draw the numbers. The host enters the score at each period and the winning square is highlighted for everyone. The free plan covers one online pool at a time, which is enough for a single Super Bowl board. Save the printed PDF as a backup in case the Wi-Fi misbehaves.
Plan the party around the pool
A squares board gives people a reason to check the score at the end of every quarter, including guests who do not follow football. Put the board where people can see it, keep a pen nearby and write each period's winning square on the sheet as the game goes. At the end, photograph the completed board before you take it down. The photo settles any later question about who won and gives you a record for next year's pool.