What is a goal kick?

A goal kick is awarded to the defending team when an attacker was the last to touch the ball before it crossed the defending team's goal line outside the goal. The ball is placed anywhere inside the goal area (the small box) and kicked into play.

The 30-second version

• Ball goes out over the defenders' goal line, last touched by an attacker → goal kick.
• Ball can be placed anywhere inside the 6-yard box.
• Ball is in play the moment it's kicked, not when it leaves the area (rule changed in 2019).
• Opponents must be outside the penalty area until the ball is in play.
• No offside on the first touch.

How it's taken

1. The ball is placed anywhere inside the goal area — the smaller box in front of the goal, often called the "6-yard box."
2. Any player on the defending team can take the kick — usually the goalkeeper, sometimes a defender.
3. Opponents must be outside the larger penalty area until the ball is kicked.
4. The kicker can pass to anyone — including a teammate 3 yards away inside the box.
5. The kicker cannot touch the ball twice in a row.

The 2019 change

Before 2019, the ball wasn't in play until it left the penalty area. Teammates couldn't receive it inside the box. Goalkeepers always had to send it long.

After 2019, the ball is in play the moment it moves. Teammates can receive it inside the box. This unlocks playing out from the back — short passes between centre-backs, baiting the press, then breaking forward.

If you watch a modern team, you'll see the keeper roll it 4 yards to a centre-back inside the box. That's legal because of the 2019 change.

A simple example

An attacker takes a shot. The goalkeeper saves it, parries it sideways, and an attacker tries to follow up — but kicks the ball over the byline.

Goal kick. The keeper places it inside the 6-yard box. The two centre-backs spread wide. The keeper passes to the right-back inside the box. He lays it back to the keeper, who switches it long to the left winger. The team has played out from the back without going long.

Defending against a goal kick (high press)

Some teams send 3 or 4 attackers right to the edge of the penalty area to force the goalkeeper to kick long. The pressure works like this:

• Striker covers the centre-back, blocking the easy pass.
• Wingers cover the full-backs, forcing the ball out wide or into a long kick.
• Midfielders sit behind, ready to win the second ball.

It's risky — one bad touch lets the attacker score in an empty net. But it's how Liverpool, Manchester City, and many top sides win the ball back high up the field.

Common confusion

• "The ball was still in the box, why did the ref let play continue?" — Since 2019, the ball is in play as soon as it's kicked, even inside the box.
• "That should have been offside." — Not from a goal kick. The first touch is exempt from offside.
• "Why is the keeper passing it short instead of just kicking it long?" — Tactical. Keeping possession on goal kicks builds attacks; long balls give possession away ~50% of the time.

What fans usually get wrong

• A goal kick can be taken anywhere in the 6-yard box, not specifically from the corner of it.
• The taker doesn't have to be the goalkeeper — any defender can take it.
• The kick can be very short. There's no minimum distance.

Official rule basis

Goal kicks are governed by Law 16 of the IFAB Laws of the Game. The 2019 update — ball in play once it's kicked, not once it leaves the box — is now standard at every level of professional soccer.