The soccer survivor pool: Premier League edition
Updated September 2026
You know the NFL survivor pool. This is the same game played on the English Premier League — one team a week, win to survive, and each club can only be used once all season. It's known as last man standing in the UK, and it runs from August to May.
How a soccer survivor pool works
- Each week you pick one Premier League team to win their match.
- Win and you advance. Draw or lose and you're eliminated (win-only is the most popular rule; some pools count a draw as survival).
- No repeats — once you've used a club, you can't pick them again all season.
- Miss the deadline and you're out. The pool runs until one player is left standing.
The full ruleset — including postponements, missed picks and deadlines — is on the rules page.
How it differs from an NFL survivor pool
- Draws are real. About a quarter of Premier League matches end level, so "win only" is a much harsher rule than in the NFL. Most soccer pools play win-only anyway — it keeps the pool fast and brutal. If you want a longer season, switch to win-or-draw.
- Twenty teams, not thirty-two. With fewer clubs, the no-repeat rule bites sooner. Spending a powerhouse early can hurt you in April.
- A 38-week season. The Premier League runs from August to May, roughly double an NFL season — a pool can go deep into the spring.
- Midweek rounds and postponements. Cup games and European nights shift the calendar. A postponed match leaves your pick pending rather than knocking you out.
Running one for your group
A Premier League survivor pool works exactly like the office pools you already know: set an entry fee if your group plays for a prize, agree the draw rule up front, and share an invite link. Everything else — fixtures, deadlines, eliminations, the leaderboard — is handled for you.
Start here: how to start a league in five minutes, or grab copy-and-paste invite and rules messages from the host kit. Already running an NFL office pool? See how to keep it going through the NFL offseason.
Strategy, translated
- Home favorites are the currency. Home advantage is strong in the Premier League — most winning picks are mid-table sides hosting struggling visitors.
- Save the giants for tough weeks. Manchester City at home to a promoted club in week two is wasted ammo; you'll want that club when the fixture list turns ugly.
- Check the injuries before locking in. A rotated squad in a midweek Europe week can sink an obvious pick.
See the safest picks this week and plan ahead with the survivor planner.