Skip to content
Booked! — The Football Card Game

Core rules · Squad Rush

How to play Booked!

2-6 players · 20 min · ages 8+. Three steps a turn, one loud word to win, and a table full of people who'd rather you didn't.

Download the rules booklet (PDF) ↓

How to Play Booked! — Core Rules (Squad Rush)

2–6 players · 20 minutes · ages 8+

The object

Be first to field a legal Starting 7 — all from ONE nation: 1 GK, 2 DEF, 2 MID, 2 FWD — then call GOOOAL! and survive one final INSTANT window.

Setup

  1. Remove the 4 Quick Rules cards.
  2. Shuffle everything else into one deck.
  3. Deal 7 to each manager.
  4. Flip the top card to start the discard (referee or discipline card? bury it, flip again).
  5. Youngest manager kicks off; play passes left.

Your turn — three steps, in order

  1. DRAW ONE — top of deck or top of discard.
  2. DO ONE — play a player FACE UP to your pitch (your open row — hands are the only hidden cards in Booked!), OR play a Referee and resolve it, OR play a Yellow/Red on an opponent, OR Tackle.
  3. HAND LIMIT 9 — over nine? discard down.

The Tackle

Discard a player from hand whose nation matches a nation on an opponent's pitch. That opponent returns ONE pitch card of that nation to their hand. Your tackler goes to the discard pile — it's a trade: one card + your action to undo one placement. (The discard is face up and draftable: sequence your tackles.)

Discipline

Yellow — book any opponent's pitch player: slide it halfway under them. Booked players still count toward a 7, but a second Yellow sends them off (player + Yellows discarded). Red — played on a BOOKED player: straight ejection (all cards discarded). On a clean player it bounces: discarded, no effect. Super Sub — wildcard for any slot including keeper, max 2 on your pitch; can be tackled as the nation it stands in for, and can be booked.

GOOOAL! and winning

A legal 7 on your pitch (sent-off players excluded) lets you call "GOOOAL!" out loud — all three O's. The call opens ONE window: around the table once, each opponent may play any number of ⚡ INSTANT cards to break your 7. Still legal when it closes? You win. Broken? Rebuild and re-call.

If the deck runs dry

Set the top discard aside, shuffle the rest into a new deck. A second exhaustion goes to penalties: highest total rating on pitch wins.

Questions from real tables

Every one of these came up in playtesting. Yours probably will too.

Are pitch cards face up or face down?
Face up, always. Your hand is the only hidden information. Tackles, discipline targeting, OFFSIDE!, and the race itself all depend on public pitches.
What happens to my card after a Tackle?
It goes to the discard pile — a Tackle costs the card plus your action. And the discard is draftable, so you may be gifting your victim a pickup. Time it.
Can I play a Red on a player with no Yellow?
You can, but it bounces: discarded with no effect. Reds only eject BOOKED players. Two paths to a sending-off: Yellow→Red, or Yellow→Yellow.
Does a Tackle destroy the returned card?
No — it returns to their hand. Destruction is the discipline system's job. (Booked player tackled home? The booking discards; they replay clean.)
In Group Stage, what does "playing a match" actually mean?
A scoring ceremony, ~30 seconds: lock, flip an official, apply their call, run the goals formula both ways, record. The strategy happened in the build phase — the match is why it mattered.
Can I play instants during match resolution?
No — locked means locked. (Unless your table runs the Matchday Drama variant.)

Ready for the tournament?

Once Squad Rush clicks, ratings switch on: Group Stage turns the same deck into a three-matchday league with goals, standings and a cup.

Advanced Play →