How to run a World Cup pub sweepstake in 2026

Why the pub sweepstake matters

A well-run sweepstake keeps regulars coming back throughout the eight weeks of the tournament. Someone who drew Brazil needs to be in to watch Brazil games. Someone with a points lead wants to celebrate at the bar. Someone trailing needs to drown their sorrows.

The sweepstake extends the commercial opportunity of the World Cup well beyond the opening weekend. It gives you a reason to communicate with regulars throughout the tournament, run specials on match nights, and build genuine community around the event.

Setting it up

You have two options: the traditional paper draw or a digital sweepstake. Most pubs still run paper draws out of habit — but there are real advantages to going digital in 2026.

A paper draw means manually updating a standings board, fielding questions about who has which team, and remembering who has and hasn't paid. A digital draw means a live leaderboard that updates automatically, a single link you can put on your social media and your pub's WhatsApp group, and payment tracking built in.

playdrawr is free for up to 48 participants — enough for most pub sweepstakes.

Taking entries

Open entries 2–3 weeks before the tournament kicks off. Give people time to pay before the draw date. Set a hard deadline — no entries accepted after the draw.

The entry fee

Pub sweepstakes typically charge more than office ones — £5–£10 per entry is standard, with some larger pubs going to £20 for a bigger prize pot. With 48 entries at £10 that's a £480 pot — enough to make it genuinely exciting.

Consider splitting the prize: 70% to the winner, 20% to the runner-up, 10% to whoever draws the top scorer's nation. Three prizes from one sweepstake — three people who have a reason to stay interested until the final.

Making the draw night an event

The draw night is your first commercial opportunity. Promote it. Put it on your socials. Run a special. Make the draw feel like an occasion — a live draw with names being called out over the bar creates more atmosphere than an email with results.

With playdrawr, you can run the digital draw live on a screen behind the bar. Each team assignment appears as it's generated. The reactions are the entertainment.

Keeping regulars engaged throughout the tournament

With playdrawr's share link, every regular can check the leaderboard from their phone without needing to come in and look at a board. That said — print out the leaderboard and stick it up behind the bar anyway. The physical board drives conversations. The digital link drives check-ins outside opening hours.

Post leaderboard updates on your socials after big match nights. "After the quarter-finals, Dave's England is leading our sweepstake by 12 points" is content that writes itself and drives engagement.

The prize

Cash is the simplest prize. But consider adding a physical element — a trophy or engraved glass that the winner gets to display. It's memorable, photogenic for socials, and creates a talking point.

Some pubs fund a non-cash prize themselves — a free tab up to £50, a meal for two, the first round at the final watch party. A company-funded prize means you keep the entry pot and use it for your own promotion, while still giving the winner something worth having.