Although you don't often see them on the shelves of your local board game shop, there are plenty of football board games out there. They broadly fall into three categories: matchday simulations, manager games, and fast card games.
Let's take a look at the big players in each category.
These are the games designed to simulate a real game of football - the passes, dribbles, tackles, shots, and saves that get us off our seats!
There are a bunch of football board games that give you very limited control of the action and reward managers for standing on the correct spot to take a shot. These are quickfire games that get you right into the action. Of the games featured below, Golazo is the most arcade-like experience.
Then there are the games that offer more strategic depth, such as Counter Attack and Und1c1. Und1c1 is a faster experience than Counter Attack, which has its benefits. It's quicker to play and has fewer rules to refer to. Meanwhile, Counter Attack gives the manager full control of the action. Football is a dynamic sport with multiple possibilities, and Counter Attack manages to capture that in its ruleset. Goals are real rewards for effort!
Subbuteo hasn't been considered here because it's a tactical, rather than tactical, game. It's great fun but could not be considered a "board game".
Image by Jörg Struwe from Pixabay
Counter Attack |
Und1c1 |
Golazo |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 11-a-side match | |||
| Players can execute a variety of moves (e.g. pass, dribble, header, shoot) | |||
| Features a large pitch so players can mimic real tactics | |||
| Playing time (mins) | 90 | 45 | 15 |
| Uses hidden cards | |||
| Expandable with more teams and players | |||
| Freedom to execute multiple strategies | |||
| Cost (approximate) | £40 | £70 | £19 |
| Rating on BGG | 7.8 | 7.5 | 7.2 |
This type of game simulates the experience of managing a squad over one or more seasons. You'll deal with player transfers and matches, as a minimum.
An old favourite of ours is Football Fortunes: originally released in the 1980s as a board game/computer game hybrid, it was re-released in 2020 with an accompanying app. Football Fortunes is a multi-season game that's a lot of fun to play with friends.
The two big names in this category are Superclub and Eleven. Both had substantial funds behind their crowdfunding campaign, with put the games under the noses of many football fans. Superclub's main benefits are the crisp graphic design and the ease of play. It's a simple game to pick up, but lacks depth as a result.
Eleven tried to go deeper, and, while it succeeded, the game got a little lost in the weeds. The matchday experience is poor - there is no real drama or joy to be found.
The new release, Club Manager, was designed to become that game that fans of the computer game franchise Football Manager would really love. It has all those important qualities - legacy-building, youth scouting, stadium development, and tense and exciting matchdays!
Image by alessandra barbieri from Pixabay
Club Manager |
Superclub Rivals |
Eleven |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Plays over multiple seasons | |||
| Buy and sell players | |||
| Change formation mid-game | |||
| Develop club facilities | |||
| Detailed matches | |||
| Develop youth players into superstars | |||
| Deal with player retirements | |||
| Cost (approximate) | £59 | £30 | £33 |
| Rating on BGG | 8 | 7.2 | 7.2 |