Circa Survivor guide
Circa Survivor is a $1,000 entry NFL survivor contest. It runs 20 legs instead of 18, because Thanksgiving and Christmas are separate legs built from the holiday games. The 2026 contest drew 25,017 entries. Most entries go out early, and in recent years only a handful have made it to the end.
How Circa differs from a normal pool
- 20 legs, not 18. You need 20 different teams, which leaves only 12 of 32 unused.
- Holiday legs. Thanksgiving and Christmas are their own legs, and you can only pick from the few teams in the holiday games. Then the rest of that NFL week is its own leg, and you cannot reuse your holiday team.
- One pick every leg. The main contest has no double-pick weeks.
In 2025, 900 entries were alive for the Thanksgiving leg, and their picks went to 8 teams. 49 were still alive for the next leg, Week 13.
In 2025, 10 entries were alive for the Christmas leg, and their picks went to 3 teams. 9 were still alive for the next leg, Week 17.
Circa Survivor by year
| Year | Entries | Legs | Survivors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1,387 | 18 | 35 left after leg 18 |
| 2021 | 4,078 | 20 | 5 left after leg 20 |
| 2022 | 6,133 | 20 | 2 left after leg 20 |
| 2023 | 9,256 | 20 | 4 left after leg 20 |
| 2024 | 14,266 | 20 | 8 left after leg 20 |
| 2025 | 18,718 | 20 | 5 left after leg 20 |
| 2026 | 25,017 | 20 | 8,610 alive after leg 2 |
From PoolCrunch's published pick data, last harvested 2026-09-22. Survivors is entries alive after the last leg graded in our data. The current season shows the count as of that harvest.
How the 2026 field started
Week 1 picks across all 25,017 entries:
| Team | Entries | Share | Vegas win chance | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JAX | 8,127 | 32.5% | 78.5% | Won |
| LAC | 7,585 | 30.3% | 79.8% | Lost |
| PIT | 4,013 | 16% | 71.8% | Won |
| DET | 1,771 | 7.1% | 73.9% | Won |
| LV | 1,308 | 5.2% | 59.9% | Won |
| PHI | 784 | 3.1% | 69.5% | Won |
What it means for your picks
With 20 teams needed, you have little room to waste a strong team early. Look ahead to the holiday legs before you use any team that plays on Thanksgiving or Christmas, since the choice those days is small. And with a field this large, avoiding the most popular pick pays off more than in an office pool when the win chances are close.
Quick answers
How many weeks is Circa Survivor?
20 legs. Thanksgiving and Christmas are separate legs on top of the regular weeks, so you need 20 different teams.
How much does Circa Survivor cost to enter?
$1,000 per entry in 2026, based on the contest data we track.
How many people entered Circa Survivor 2026?
25,017 entries.
How many entries survived Circa Survivor 2025?
5 of 18,718 entries were still alive after the last leg in our data.
More guides
- Survivor pool strategyWin chance, future value, the crowd, pool size and multiple entries, with live numbers.
- Survivor pool rebuysWhy the rebuy window is the time to spend teams you will not need later.
- Double-pick weeks in survivor poolsTwo picks that both must win, and the extra teams they cost you.
- Splash Sports survivor guideEvery Splash survivor contest this season and how double weeks work there.