Glossary
Soccer glossary
Every soccer term you'll hear during a match, in one or two sentences. Tap a letter to jump to that section.
A
Active play
A player in an offside position is only penalised if they are actively involved in play — touching the ball, challenging an opponent for the ball, or gaining an advantage from their offside position. Simply being in an offside position when a teammate passes is not itself an offence; involvement is what triggers the flag.
Learn fastAdvantage rule
When a foul occurs but the referee allows play to continue because stopping play would benefit the team that was fouled. The referee signals advantage by extending both arms forward. The offender can still be cautioned once the ball next goes dead.
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B
Back-pass rule
A goalkeeper cannot pick up the ball with their hands if a teammate has deliberately kicked it to them. If they do, the opposing team is awarded an indirect free kick from the spot where the keeper handled it. The rule was introduced in 1992 to discourage time-wasting.
Learn fastBox
Informal term for the penalty area — the large rectangular area in front of each goal measuring 18 yards deep and 44 yards wide. Fouls committed by the defending team inside the box result in a penalty kick for the attacking side.
Learn fastBrace
Two goals scored by the same player in a single match. Scoring a brace is considered a strong individual contribution to the team's performance. One goal short of the more celebrated hat-trick.
C
Caution
The official term for a yellow card. A player who receives two cautions in the same match is automatically shown a red card and dismissed from the field. Cautions can also accumulate across multiple matches in a tournament, leading to suspension.
Learn fastClean sheet
When a goalkeeper and their team do not concede a goal during an entire match. Considered a positive performance indicator for defenders and goalkeepers, reflecting solid defensive organisation and strong shot-stopping. A clean sheet is one of the most tracked statistics for back-line players.
Corner kick
Awarded to the attacking team when a defender is the last player to touch the ball before it fully crosses the goal line outside the post. The kick is taken from the quarter-circle arc in the corner of the pitch. Corner kicks are a prime set-piece opportunity, as the ball is delivered directly into the penalty area where players compete to score.
Learn fastCounter-attack
A fast attack launched immediately after winning the ball, targeting space behind an opposition that has pushed forward. Teams that specialise in counter-attacking football often sit deep defensively, absorbing pressure before transitioning rapidly upfield. A well-executed counter exploits the moment when the opponent is most unbalanced.
D
DOGSO
Denying an Obvious Goal-Scoring Opportunity. A red card offence when a player commits a foul or handball that stops an attacker with a clear path to goal. DOGSO is judged by four factors: distance to goal, direction of play, position of defenders, and control of the ball.
Learn fastDribble
Running with the ball under close control using the feet, typically to beat a defender or carry the ball into space. A player who successfully dribbles past an opponent can create numerical advantages or shooting opportunities. Elite dribblers change speed and direction rapidly to evade challenges.
E
Encroachment
When a player enters the penalty area or penalty arc before a penalty kick is taken. Depending on which team encroaches and the outcome of the kick, the penalty may be retaken or the original outcome may stand.
Learn fastExcessive force
The highest level of foul severity under Law 12, where a challenge endangers the safety of an opponent — also known as serious foul play. A player who uses excessive force is shown a straight red card and dismissed from the match. This is distinct from careless or reckless challenges, which result in free kicks or yellow cards respectively.
Learn fastExtra time
Two 15-minute halves played in a knockout match when the score is tied after 90 minutes of regulation. Both periods are always played in full — the golden goal rule, which ended matches on the first extra-time goal, was abolished in 2004. If the score remains level after extra time, the match is decided by a penalty shootout.
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F
FAR
Fully Automated Offside. Technology that uses player-tracking data and multiple cameras to determine offside positions automatically without a human assistant referee drawing lines. FAR significantly reduces the time needed for VAR offside reviews and is designed to be more accurate than manual methods.
First touch
A player's initial contact with the ball when receiving a pass. A good first touch brings the ball under control and sets up the next action; a poor first touch can give the ball away or draw pressure from defenders. Elite players use their first touch to move into space.
Fixture
A scheduled match between two teams. A club's fixture list for a season or tournament details the dates, opponents, and venues for all their scheduled games. The term is used interchangeably with "match" or "game" in most English-speaking football contexts.
Foul
An illegal physical act against an opponent — including pushing, tripping, holding, charging, or a dangerous tackle. The team that was fouled is awarded a free kick at the spot of the offence, or a penalty kick if the foul occurred inside the box. Serious or repeated fouls can result in a yellow or red card.
Learn fastFree kick
A kick awarded to the fouled team, taken from the spot of the offence with defending players at least 10 yards away. Direct free kicks can be shot straight into goal; indirect free kicks must touch at least one other player first. Teams often use free kicks as set-piece opportunities, with a defensive wall trying to narrow the shooting angle.
Learn fastFriendly
A non-competitive match between two teams, typically used for preparation, player development, or to mark a special occasion. Results in friendlies do not count toward any official competition standings. International friendlies are often used to give managers a chance to test tactics and younger players ahead of tournaments.
G
Goal kick
Awarded to the defending team when an attacking player is last to touch the ball before it fully crosses the defending team's goal line outside the post. The kick is taken from anywhere inside the 6-yard box and the ball must leave the penalty area before any player can touch it. Goal kicks allow the team to restart play and distribute the ball upfield from a safe position.
Learn fastGolden goal
A rule, now abolished, where the first goal scored in extra time would immediately end the match. FIFA abolished the golden goal rule in 2004 after criticism that it produced overly cautious football in extra time. Extra time is now always played in full regardless of goals scored.
Learn fastGroup stage
The first phase of the World Cup where teams are divided into groups and each team plays the others in their group once. At the 2026 World Cup, 48 teams are split into 12 groups of four, with the top two finishers in each group plus the eight best third-placed teams advancing to the knockout rounds. Points are awarded for wins and draws, with tiebreakers used when teams finish level.
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H
Handball
Touching the ball with the hand or arm in an illegal manner, judged by whether the arm was in an unnatural position that made the body bigger — not solely on intent. The shoulder is not considered handball. A handball by an attacker in the build-up to a goal will typically disallow it; a handball by a defender inside their own box results in a penalty kick.
Learn fastHat-trick
When a single player scores three goals in the same match. Considered a significant individual achievement, the player is traditionally given the match ball as a memento. A "perfect hat-trick" refers to scoring with the right foot, left foot, and head in the same game.
I
IFAB
The International Football Association Board — the body responsible for writing and maintaining the Laws of the Game. Its members include FIFA and the four British football associations (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland). Any change to the official rules of soccer requires approval from IFAB.
Injury time
Informal term for stoppage time — the additional minutes played at the end of each half to compensate for time lost during delays such as injuries, substitutions, and VAR reviews. The fourth official displays the minimum amount on a board near the 45th and 90th minutes.
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K
Knockout stage
The single-elimination rounds that follow the World Cup group stage. Win and your team advances to the next round; lose and you're eliminated from the tournament. Matches tied after 90 minutes go to extra time, and if still level after that, to a penalty shootout.
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L
Linesman
Informal term for the assistant referee who runs along the touchline and assists the main referee with offside decisions, ball in and out of play, and other calls. The official title is assistant referee; "linesman" is a traditional term still widely used by fans.
M
Mark
To closely follow and defend against a specific opponent, limiting their space and time on the ball. Defenders are often assigned to "mark" dangerous attackers in set-piece situations, and marking can be either man-to-man (following a specific player) or zonal (defending an area).
Mistaken identity
A VAR-reviewable situation where the referee has cautioned or sent off the wrong player. VAR can correct the error by identifying the player who actually committed the offence, resulting in the card being rescinded from the innocent player and applied to the correct one.
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N
Nutmeg
When a player passes or dribbles the ball through an opponent's legs. Not a rule term — a colloquial term for a skill move considered humiliating for the player being nutmegged. The player who executes the nutmeg must collect the ball on the other side to complete the trick.
O
Offside
An attacker is in an offside position when any body part they can legally score with is past the second-to-last defender at the moment a teammate plays the ball forward. Being in an offside position is not itself an offence — a player is only penalised if they become actively involved in play. The assistant referee flags for offside, and the call can be reviewed by VAR.
Learn fastOwn goal
When a player accidentally or deliberately directs the ball into their own team's net. The goal is credited to the attacking team rather than to any individual player. Own goals typically result from deflections, miscued clearances, or pressure from an opposing attacker.
P
Penalty kick
A direct free shot from the penalty spot 12 yards from goal, awarded when the defending team commits a foul or handball inside their own penalty area. Only the goalkeeper may defend, and all other players must stay outside the box and penalty arc until the kick is taken. The goalkeeper may move laterally along the goal line before the ball is struck but cannot step forward.
Learn fastPenalty shootout
Used to decide a tied knockout match when extra time cannot separate the teams. Each side takes five alternating kicks from the penalty spot; the team that scores more of their five advances. If still level after five kicks each, the shootout continues in sudden death — one kick per team — until one side misses.
Learn fastPossession
Having control of the ball by successfully stringing passes together and keeping it away from opponents. Possession is usually expressed as a percentage of total playing time. High possession does not always equal more chances — some teams deliberately concede the ball to exploit space on the counter-attack.
Pressing
Coordinating multiple players to aggressively chase and trap the opponent in possession, aiming to force turnovers or rushed clearances. A "high press" applies this pressure near the opponent's goal to win the ball in dangerous areas. Pressing requires significant fitness and coordination to execute effectively over 90 minutes.
R
Red card
A sending-off shown for serious foul play, violent conduct, denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity (DOGSO), or receiving two yellow cards in the same match. The player must immediately leave the field and cannot be replaced — their team plays the remainder of the match with ten players. The sent-off player also serves at least a one-match suspension.
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S
SAOT
Semi-Automated Offside Technology. Uses player-tracking data and multiple cameras to generate faster, more accurate offside calls than traditional assistant referee flag decisions. Used at major tournaments including the World Cup, SAOT feeds data to VAR operators and produces a 3D animation of the offside line.
Set piece
Any dead-ball restart of play: corner kicks, free kicks, throw-ins, goal kicks, and penalty kicks. Because the ball is stationary and defenders must be positioned at a minimum distance, teams invest significant practice time rehearsing set-piece routines. A disproportionate share of top-level goals are scored directly from set pieces.
Learn fastSPA
Stopping a Promising Attack. A yellow-card offence when a player fouls an opponent who had a promising but not obvious goal-scoring chance. Distinguished from DOGSO — which earns a red card — by the lower probability of a goal if the foul had not been committed.
Learn fastStoppage time
Extra minutes added at the end of each half to compensate for time lost during play due to injuries, substitutions, VAR reviews, goal celebrations, and other delays. The fourth official displays the minimum stoppage time on a board near the 45th and 90th minutes, though the referee may extend it further. Also informally called injury time or added time.
Learn fastSubstitution
Replacing a field player or goalkeeper with a player from the bench, used to manage fatigue, respond to injury, or change tactics. Teams get up to 5 substitutions across 3 windows during regulation, plus one additional substitution if the match goes to extra time. A player who has been substituted off cannot return to the game.
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T
Tackle
A challenge to win the ball from an opponent using the feet. A sliding tackle takes the player to the ground to reach the ball; a standing tackle keeps the player on their feet. A tackle that makes contact with the opponent before the ball can result in a foul or, if reckless or dangerous, a yellow or red card.
Through ball
A pass played into space behind the defensive line for an attacking player to run onto. A successful through ball often creates a clear goal-scoring opportunity by bypassing multiple defenders in a single pass. The timing of both the pass and the run is critical — the attacker must not be offside when the ball is played.
Throw-in
Restart used when the ball fully crosses the touchline. The team that did not touch the ball last throws it back in using both hands, releasing it from behind and over the head, with both feet on the ground at the moment of release. A foul throw — violating any of these conditions — results in the throw being awarded to the opposing team.
Tiebreaker
The set of criteria used to separate teams that finish level on points in the World Cup group stage. The order is: goal difference, then goals scored, then head-to-head results between the tied teams, then fair play points based on cards received, and finally a drawing of lots. Tiebreakers become especially consequential in closely contested groups.
Learn fastTouchline
The boundary lines running along the long sides of the pitch (also called the sidelines). When the ball fully crosses the touchline, play is restarted with a throw-in by the team that did not touch it last. Coaches and substitutes are required to remain in the technical area near the touchline during a match.
U
Unsporting behaviour
A broad yellow-card offence covering actions that violate the spirit of the game — including simulation (diving), deliberate handball that is not DOGSO, time-wasting, encroachment at a penalty kick, and disrespectful gestures. The catch-all nature of the offence gives referees flexibility to punish behaviour not covered by more specific rules.
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V
VAR
Video Assistant Referee — a team of officials operating from a video operations room who review replays and can alert the on-field referee to clear and obvious errors. VAR intervention is limited to four match-changing situations: goals (including offside in the build-up), penalty decisions, straight red cards, and mistaken identity. The referee can visit the pitchside monitor to review footage themselves before making a final call.
Learn fastVAR check
An automatic or requested review of an incident by the Video Assistant Referee. A VAR check happens silently in the background for every potential goal, penalty, red card, or mistaken identity situation. A check only becomes a formal review — and potentially a pitchside monitor review — when the VAR believes the referee made a clear and obvious error.
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W
Wall
A line of defensive players positioned between the ball and the goal at a free kick, used to reduce the shooting angle available to the kicker. Defenders in the wall must be at least 10 yards from the ball and must not encroach before the kick is taken. Attackers are now permitted to stand in the wall alongside defenders.
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Y
Yellow card
A booking — a formal warning from the referee for misconduct such as unsporting behaviour, dissent, time-wasting, or persistent infringement. Two yellow cards in the same match automatically result in a red card and immediate dismissal. Yellow cards also accumulate across matches in a tournament, so players on bookings risk suspension if they receive another caution.
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