Question 1

Is it actually free?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Free for groups up to 48 players. No credit card. No "free for 14 days then…". No upsell. If your group is bigger than 48, there's a one-off paid tier — but most office and pub sweepstakes fit comfortably.

Question 2

Do you handle the money?

Accepted Answer

No, and that's the point. playdrawr doesn't process payments or hold funds. Your group pays however they want — cash in the pub, bank transfer, Monzo, the office kitty. We just track who's paid so you don't have to.

Question 3

How does the random draw work?

Accepted Answer

All 48 World Cup teams are shuffled using a cryptographically fair algorithm and assigned to participants the moment you hit "draw". You can pin it to a TV for the reveal, share a short replay link to the group chat, or rerun if someone joined late.

Question 4

Do my colleagues need to sign up?

Accepted Answer

Only the organiser creates an account. Everyone else joins via a single link — no email, no password, no app to download. They open the link on their phone and they're in.

Question 5

What if someone joins after the draw?

Accepted Answer

You can rerun the draw, or add late joiners to a reserve pool that gets teams from anyone who drops out. Most groups just open joining a few days before kickoff.

Question 6

What scoring system do you use?

Accepted Answer

Standard FIFA-style: points for wins, draws, group qualification, knockout progression, and the final. You can also turn on bonus points for goals scored and clean sheets if your group fancies it.

Question 7

Is this gambling?

Accepted Answer

No. playdrawr is entertainment software. We run the draw and the leaderboard. Whether your group puts in £1 or £0 or biscuits is entirely your call — and the money never touches us.

Question 8

Who built playdrawr?

Accepted Answer

A small UK team who got fed up with running their own office sweepstake on a Google Sheet. Questions go to headcoach@playdrawr.co.uk and a human replies, usually within a few hours.

What a ride.
Our first
World Cup
is in the books.

The Crown · WC '26

Sensible questions, sensible answers.

Everything you need to run a great sweepstake

Coming soon to playdrawr

Eight weeks, 104 matches —
what a ride.

What a ride.Our firstWorld Cupis in the books.

Sensible questions, sensible answers.

Everything you need to run a great sweepstake

Coming soon to playdrawr

Eight weeks, 104 matches —what a ride.

What a ride.
Our first
World Cup
is in the books.

Eight weeks, 104 matches —
what a ride.