Powerball to Launch Xs and Os September 2026
Monday August 10th 2026Along with the UK’s addition to the game, and other recent changes to the classic multi-state draw game, Powerball is set to add X’s and O’s to America’s flagship games next month.
If you’re a fan of the NFL or sports in general, this addition is for you. However, it should be noted that no football knowledge is needed to play. Simply luck — and the odds are great in this game.
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What is Powerball and X’s O’s?
X’s and O’s is a multi-state lottery game created by the Multi-State Lottery Association, in partnership with the NFL. It launches on September 8, 2026, and its first drawing is scheduled to take place on September 13 2026. It will provide a separate game than Powerball — a weekly draw game experience rather than a simple add-on.
To play, you must simply choose eight distinct logos from the 32 NFL teams (no repeats) and every Sunday evening at approximately 9:00 PM CT (10:00 PM ET), eight logos will be drawn at random. You win cash prizes based on how many you match. It’s as simple as that.
Tickets will cost $5 per play.
Prizes and Odds
The prizes in X's and O's are reported to blend cold cash rewards with once-in-a-lifetime NFL perks and branded gear. In the main draw, your payout hinges on accuracy — specifically, how many of your eight predicted teams actually land a match.
Match all 8 drawn logos and you're looking at a jackpot beginning at $1 million. But the prize pool doesn't stop there. Matching anywhere from four to seven teams still puts you in the money. There are prizes for the following matches:
- Match 8 to win the jackpot, which has been confirmed as a ‘modest rolling jackpot’ that will keep the game self-funded. MUSL has said that the emphasis on the game is experiential prizes related to the NFL.
- Match 7 logos and win $20,000. The odds of this are 1 in 54,782.8
- Match 6 logos and win $500. The odds of this are 1 in 1,361
- Match 5 logos and win $40, and odds are 1 in 93.
- Match 4 and win $7. Odds of this are 1 in 14.
The overall odds of winning any prize in the game are 1 in 12.
Where Can You Play?
The complete roster of participating states and territories has yet to be finalized, but expectations point to a rollout with broad national reach. Given that X's and O's operates under the MUSL banner alongside Powerball, it could theoretically extend to every territory where Powerball currently runs — that's 45 states, plus D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.
So far, upwards of 31 states have reportedly signed on, putting the game within reach of roughly 150 million potential players. Early praise for the Powerball-NFL alliance came from lottery officials in Oklahoma, Iowa, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania.
Jay Finks, Oklahoma Lottery Executive Director who spearheaded the project, told news outlets that X’s and O’s "isn't sports betting... but it's going to be able to live in that environment, thrive in that environment without being sports betting. I think it's going to be the best of both worlds.”
Finks also explained the strategic rationale, on why the NFL partnership makes sense: "What this research is saying is we should be talking to the NFL. Because it can get us a younger player."
As for the rest, individual state lotteries are still weighing their options, each deciding independently whether the game fits their offerings.
Get Ready to Play
If you are interested in taking part in X’s and O’s when it launches, you will be able to acquire tickets in person from licensed lottery vendors, and online in some states. In the meantime, you can take part in weekly Powerball drawings, as the current jackpot approaches $1 billion again.
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