What is Last One Standing?

Pick. Win. Survive.

A football prediction game where you survive by making winning picks. Last the longest and become the Last One Standing!

How it works

Each round, you choose one team to win their league match. If they win, you stay in. If they lose or draw, you’re out.

You can’t pick the same team twice — so choose wisely. Keep surviving until everyone else is out… and you’re the Last One Standing.

About the game

Played in groups ranging from a few friends to hundreds, it’s based entirely on the results of real-life league matches.

Each round — a league gameweek — every player picks one team they think will win. If their team wins, they progress to the next round. If their team loses or draws, they’re out.

The game continues until there’s only one player left, or everyone goes out.

Each team can only be picked once - so some strategy is needed!

The finer details

The game continues until there’s only one player left, or everyone goes out in the same round, or the league season finishes. If one player remains after a round, they’re declared the winner. If all remaining players go out together, they share the win as joint winners.

Each team can only be picked once. For example, if you choose Liverpool in Round 1, you can’t pick them again. As the rounds go on and more teams become unavailable, choosing a winning team gets tougher.

You should make your pick before the round deadline, which is set before the real-life matches begin. After the deadline passes, all players picks are revealed, so you'll know who to cheer for!

All rounds are based on the official league gameweeks, making the competition unfold alongside the real football season.

The more players in the game the longer it may last, for example with 100+ players, the game may take 10-15 rounds, but with 10 players it could be over in just a few rounds.

You can play as a one-off game, or play consecutive games over a season.

If the league has 20 teams, the maximum number of possible rounds is 20. If multiple players are still standing after 20 rounds, the game ends in a tie between them.

Why Fans Love It

After Fantasy League, Last One Standing is the most popular football prediction games. Millions of fans love its sheer simplicity.

It offers a straightforward alternative to the complexity of fantasy league — you make just one pick per round. It’s that easy! The game is accessible and inclusive for casual fans as well as seasoned football followers.

Because you typically play multiple games, losing one game isn’t the end. You can jump into the next game quickly and keep the fun going.

History of the game

Also known as "Last Man Standing" and "Survivor", the game has evolved over time, with various formats and rules, but the core concept remains the same: predict the winner of a football match and avoid elimination.

Originally popular in social circles and workplaces, it has gained popularity with the rise of messaging apps like WhatsApp.

Traditionally, it's managed by a designated group administrator, who keeps track of the game using spreadsheets or even paper notes to track progress.

Last One Standing on Pikk

Pikk was built to take the admin side out of the game and keep your stats automatically updated. Playing on the Pikk platform ensures a smooth, hassle-free experience while keeping all the classic fun of Last One Standing.

Here are some of the key features and rules when you play on Pikk:

• At present the game is based around the English Premier League. If you'd like to use a different league, please email support@thepikk.app to get in touch.
• If you miss the deadline, Pikk will automatically make a random pick for you from your available teams, so you stay in the game. Random picks are denoted by the dice icon next to the player name on the game screen.
• Your team must win for you to progress to the next round. A draw results in elimination, the same as a loss.
• You can update your selection before the deadline, afterwards, it's locked in.
• You can make picks for as many rounds as you like, allowing you to plan ahead and map your path to victory from the very start. Strategic players can think several rounds ahead to maximize their chances of survival.
• Since games must finish on the last round of the season (38 in the Premier League), games starting later in the season may not finish before the season ends. In this scenario, any player left in after the final round will be a joint winner.

Fixture changes

• If a match is abandoned, cancelled, or postponed, and you selected that team for the round, you’ll automatically be assigned a new random team. This ensures every player still has an active pick even when matches don’t go ahead as planned.
• If the postponement happens at the last minute, you’ll be granted a bye and automatically progress to the next round.

Winning

• The winning player(s) are awarded points for a win, and these points are accumulated over the season if multiple games are played.
• The number of points awarded for a win is determined by the number of players competing: 5 players will play for 500 points (5 x 100). 10 players will play for 1000 points (10 x 100). 50 players will play for 5000 points (50 x 100).

Strategy and Tips

As with any prediction game, you'll need a fair slice of luck to win, but there are also things you can do to help yourself increase your chances.

Know the fixtures

Look at the fixtures carefully and make sure you're not missing anything obvious. You don't want to overlook anything.

Identify the strongest picks

The strong favourites will usually give you the best chance of getting through, but also think about when you think there could be an upset.

Think ahead

Make sure you have a look at the upcoming rounds and identify the trickiest rounds. Try to prioritize these and then plan your other picks. If you get to a hard round, but you've already picked the only obvious choice, you'll have a much tougher decision to make.

Study form

Keep updated with form. You may have planned a smooth looking route initially, but by round 3, things can look very different. Be adaptable and make changes based on current form.

Anticipate the game

Think about how many picks you might need to make to win the game. In a smaller game you'll probably need fewer picks to succeed than a larger one. In a longer game you're going to need to take some risks, so think about which rounds you want to make your riskier selections in.

Observe your opponents

If you can anticipate other players going for an obvious pick, you could give yourself the edge by going for an alternative pick.

If you think your opponents may be second guessing you, sometimes the obvious pick can be the best one!

Keep it social

It's a great idea to use a group messaging app like WhatsApp to update everyone on game developments and share links etc.