Official Competition Guidelines
Last Man Standing Rules
Everything you need to know about playing and winning with Last Man Standing HQ
TL;DR
- •Pick one team to win each round
- •No repeats: You cannot pick the same team twice in a competition
- •Win = Survive: Draw or lose, and you're eliminated
- •Last standing wins: The final survivor wins the top prize
Premier League 2026/27
The Premier League returns on 21 August. Get the new-season fixture context, rules and team-reuse strategy before you make your first pick.
Premier League guide and strategyWorld Cup 2026 Last Man Standing
The same rules applied to our World Cup 2026 edition, with a twist: one nation per matchday across all eight rounds, from the group stage to the final on 19 July. Draws counted in the knockouts, where the nation that progressed was treated as the winner. Entries for that edition are closed, and the guide stays up as a record of how the tournament game worked
1. How to Play
- ■Pick one team per round. You can enter picks up to 5 weeks in advance
- ■You can only pick a team ONCE per competition. Choose wisely
- ■Picks or changes must be submitted before the round deadline
2. Elimination & Scoring
- ■If your team wins, you advance. If they draw or lose, you are eliminated
- ■Postponed, cancelled, abandoned or rescheduled games, and results later changed by the governing body, count as a win to keep you in, but you cannot win the competition on a postponed game alone
- ■The competition continues until only one person remains
3. Prizes & Entry Fees
- ■The last person standing wins the top prize
- ■Prize pots are either guaranteed up front or grow as entries come in. The competition page states which applies
- ■Where a pot grows, two thirds of each entry fee goes into the pot and LMS keeps one third as a platform fee. Where the pot is guaranteed up front, LMS funds the pot and entry fees go towards running the platform
- ■If everyone is eliminated in a round, the prize rolls over to a new competition (minus a 10% rollover fee)
4. Buy-backs
- ■If enabled, you can pay the buy-back fee shown on the competition page to re-enter a competition after being eliminated
- ■You can only buy back ONCE per competition
- ■You must pay and make your pick before the next round deadline
5. Referrals & Rewards
- ■Get a referral code after joining your first competition
- ■When a friend joins and pays using your code, you earn credits
- ■Earn £10 in credits per referral, up to a maximum of £30
6. Tips for Success
- ■Use a strong team when it is your clearest choice now; save it only when another credible pick leaves a useful future option
- ■Consider home advantage, current form, and fixture difficulty
- ■Watch out for injuries and head-to-head records
Ready to test your skills?
Join our community of contenders competing for glory and prizes in Last Man Standing HQ