The Object of the Game

The objective of football is simple: the team that scores more goals than the opponent within the regulation time wins the match. Possession and passing statistics do not affect the result.

A goal counts only once the whole ball is over the goal line between the posts and under the crossbar; after it is awarded, the team that conceded restarts with a kick-off.

The coin toss decides ends and kick-off, the match starts with a kick-off, the teams swap ends for the second half, and the final whistle closes the match.

When both teams score the same number of goals at the end of regulation in a league match, the result is a draw, and each team typically receives 1 point.

Winning is defined strictly by goals scored. Statistics such as possession, fouls, or shots do not determine the winner.

A football team includes all registered players: starters, substitutes, and the goalkeeper. The on-pitch eleven is just one part of the team.

A kick-off starts each half and restarts play after a goal has been scored. It is taken from the centre mark.

The goals stand in the middle of each goal line, one at each end of the pitch (C). A is the centre mark, B a corner and D a penalty mark.

The goalkeeper is the unique position whose primary role is to prevent goals, and is the only player permitted to deliberately use the hands — but only inside their own penalty area.

Football (association football) is defined by its primary use of the feet to control and play the ball. Only the goalkeeper and players taking throw-ins may legally use their hands in defined situations.

A team starts with eleven players, one of them the goalkeeper. The picture shows ten, so one is missing.

The half-time interval is shorter than any period of play, a full match is longer than either of its halves, and extra time makes a knockout match longer still.

A standard match is divided into two equal halves of 45 minutes, separated by a half-time interval.

Each half lasts 45 minutes of regulation time. Added (stoppage) time may be added at the discretion of the referee.

Only one ball is in play at any time. Spare balls are kept around the pitch to speed up restarts but are never used simultaneously.

There are exactly two goals — one at each end of the pitch. Each team defends one and attacks the other.

Since the early 1990s, the standard scoring system in league football awards 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw, and 0 for a loss.

A draw earns each team 1 point in the standard 3-1-0 league points system.

In the standard league system a win earns the most points, a defeat earns none and a draw sits in between.

A match must be abandoned if either team has fewer than 7 players on the pitch (e.g., due to red cards or injuries with no substitutes left).

The lime goalkeeper (B) guards the goal on the left, the one the lime team defends. D is the other team's goalkeeper, A a lime striker and C a lime defender.

Strikers and forwards are positioned high up the pitch with the main responsibility of scoring goals, although any player may legally score.

The referee is the sole decision-maker on the pitch. Their authority extends from the moment they enter the field of play until they leave it.

The coin toss comes before the start: the team that wins it chooses which goal to attack in the first half, and the other team kicks off.

Only the referee can confirm a goal. In modern football they may consult the assistant referee, goal-line technology, or VAR, but the final decision is the referee's.

The captain wears an armband and is the team's official representative when speaking with the referee, although they have no special legal powers in the game.

The coach (or manager) is responsible for tactical preparation, selecting the starting eleven, and making substitutions during the match.

The regular time runs out, the added time for stoppages is announced and played, and only then does the whistle end the half.

Any outfield or even goalkeeper can take a throw-in. The team awarded the throw chooses who takes it.

The referee inspects players' equipment and can prevent any player from taking part if their kit is unsafe or non-compliant.

The goalkeeper may handle the ball only inside their own penalty area. Outside it they are treated like any other player.

Deliberate handling of the ball by any outfield player is an offence punishable by a free kick or penalty.

Since the 2016/17 Laws revision, a goal can be scored directly against the opposing team from a kick-off. (A goal cannot be scored directly into one's own goal.)

A match continues as long as each team has at least 7 players. If a team drops to 6, the match is abandoned.

Goals may be scored with any part of the body except the arms or hands. Headers are one of the most common ways to score from crosses and set pieces.

A team must always have a goalkeeper. With no substitutions left, one of the outfield players takes over the position in a goalkeeper's shirt.

A goal cannot be scored directly from a throw-in. The ball must touch another player first. If it goes directly in, the restart is a goal kick or corner depending on circumstances.

Football is played with all parts of the body except the arms and hands. Outfield players may use their feet, head, chest, thighs, and so on.

Jewellery is not allowed. The player is sent off the field to remove it and may return only when the referee is satisfied and gives permission.

There is no rule limiting how many goals a single player can score. Three goals by one player is called a hat-trick, but players have scored five or more in a single match.

After a goal the players go back to their own halves and play restarts with a kick-off by the team that conceded.

An own goal counts as a goal for the opposing team. The player who deflected the ball into their own net is credited with an own goal in the records.

The picture shows six lime players. A match cannot go on if a team has fewer than seven players, so the referee abandons it.

Under the standard 3-1-0 league system used worldwide since the mid-1990s, a winning team earns 3 league points.

A draw earns 1 league point for each team, under the standard 3-1-0 points system.

In most knockout competitions a match level after regulation time goes to extra time, and if it is still level, kicks from the penalty mark decide who goes through.

When neither team scores, the result is a 0-0 draw, often called a goalless draw or 'nil-nil'.

If the referee identifies an infringement (such as offside) before the goal, the goal is disallowed. The restart is the indirect free kick for the offside offence.

A goal cannot be awarded if the goal-scorer (or any teammate immediately before) deliberately handled the ball. The goal is disallowed.

The referee signals the end of the match with a long whistle once all added (stoppage) time has been played. There is no additional play in a regular league match if the score is tied.

The Football Association (FA) was founded in England in 1863, and the first standardised Laws of the Game were created there that same year.

The FA was founded in London on 26 October 1863, marking the official birth of association football as a codified sport.

The name 'football' distinguished it from games allowed to use hands (which became rugby football). The term emphasises that the ball is moved with the feet.

The Football Association came first, the Scottish FA followed ten years later, FIFA was founded in 1904 and UEFA in 1954.

The 90-minute match (two halves of 45 minutes) was established in the late 1800s, shortly after the FA codified the Laws of the Game.

The picture shows eleven players. Eleven-a-side was settled in the early years of the codified game in the 1800s and has not changed since.

The 3-1-0 system replaced the older 2-1-0 system in England in 1981 and was adopted by FIFA worldwide by 1995, designed to encourage attacking play.

The original league points system gave 2 points for a win and 1 point for a draw. This was changed to 3 points for a win to discourage defensive play.

The first international was played in 1872, the first World Cup in 1930, the first European Cup final in 1956, and VAR was first used at a World Cup in 2018.

The first international, Scotland vs England in 1872, ended in a 0-0 draw — a goalless start to the long history of international football.

If a team has used all substitutions and a player is injured or sent off, the team continues with fewer players — provided they still have at least 7.

If a goalkeeper is sent off and no goalkeeper substitutions remain, an outfield player must put on the goalkeeper jersey and take over the role.

A goal can be scored directly from a goal kick, but only against the opposing team, so the goal stands.

A goal cannot be scored directly into your own goal from a kick-off. The referee gives no goal and restarts with a corner kick to the opponents.

The whole ball must completely cross the goal line, between the posts and under the bar. If it does not fully cross, no goal is awarded — even if it touched the net briefly.

If outside interference prevents a clear goal, the referee uses judgement. They may award the goal if it would clearly have scored, or restart with a drop ball.

The referee has authority to suspend or abandon a match if conditions are unsafe. Competition rules then determine whether the match is replayed or the result stands.

Regular league matches end at the conclusion of regulation plus added time. Extra time and penalty shootouts are used in knockout competitions, not in league play.

Coaches and other team officials must remain in the technical area. Entering the field without permission can lead to a dismissal (red card) for the official.

The referee must be informed before a substitution, and the substitute may enter, at the halfway line, only after the player being replaced has left the pitch.

Singles tennis has one player per side, basketball five, volleyball six and football eleven.

In football every goal is worth exactly one point in the score, regardless of how it was scored. In basketball, shots can be worth 1, 2, or 3 points.

Association football is defined by the use of feet (with hands restricted to the goalkeeper). American football is a different sport played primarily with the hands.

An NBA game has 48 minutes of play, an NHL game 60, a rugby union match 80 and a football match 90.

A football goal is a rectangular frame with a net. Rugby has H-shaped posts and scores tries by grounding the ball over the try line.

Futsal is a small-sided indoor variant of football, played 5-a-side with a smaller, heavier ball — also primarily with the feet.

Football is played 11-a-side on a large pitch; futsal is played 5-a-side on a much smaller indoor court.

League football matches can end in a draw. Volleyball, like tennis or basketball, plays until one side wins outright.

Football scoring is simple — whole goals are added up. Tennis uses a hierarchical scoring system of points, games, and sets.

Football is famously low-scoring compared to basketball or handball — most matches end with 1 to 5 goals total, which makes each goal more dramatic.

Added (stoppage) time is played at the end of each half. With 4 minutes added, the match continues to at least the 94th minute. The referee may add more if further stoppages occur.

Once a team falls below 7 players, the match must be abandoned. The competition's rules then decide the official outcome.

A draw earns each team 1 point in the standard 3-1-0 league system, regardless of the actual scoreline.

Since 2016 a goal may be scored directly from a kick-off against the opposing team, so the goal stands.

A goal scored directly from a goal kick against the opposing team is valid — this has happened in professional matches when wind or a misjudgement carries the ball over the goalkeeper.

A goal does not end the match: the team that conceded kicks off, the added time is played, and only then does the final whistle come.

An own goal counts for the other team, and as with any goal the team that conceded restarts with a kick-off.

If no goalkeeper substitution is available, an outfield player must take over as the new goalkeeper, wearing a different shirt to be distinguishable.

An offside infringement disallows the goal. The defending team restarts with an indirect free kick from the position of the offside offence.

Winning the match only requires having more goals at the final whistle. Team A wins by either extending the lead or by preventing Team B from scoring.

Football's objective is exclusively about goals scored versus goals conceded. All other statistics are secondary.

Each team starts with 11 players including the goalkeeper. This is one of the most fundamental rules of the game.

A match starts with a kick-off, breaks for half-time between the two 45-minute halves, adds time for stoppages at the end and finishes with the final whistle.

The referee is the sole authority on decisions made during the match. Their decisions are final and binding.

The whole of the ball must completely cross the line. This precise wording is critical and is the basis for goal-line technology.

The 3-1-0 league system, adopted globally in the 1990s, awards 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw, 0 for a loss.

Only the goalkeeper, and only inside their own penalty area, may deliberately handle the ball during play.

The picture shows seven lime players. A match may continue as long as each team has at least seven players.

A tied score in football is a draw. Each team gets 1 point in league play; in knockouts the match goes to extra time and possibly penalties.

The first Laws were written in 1863, the penalty kick arrived in 1891, the first World Cup was held in 1930 and VAR was used at a World Cup in 2018.