Corner Kick and Goal Kick Rules Explained

Rules · By Md Emran Hossain · Updated 28 October 2026 · 2 min read

Corners and goal kicks are two sides of the same situation: the ball has crossed the goal line without a goal being scored. Which one is awarded depends simply on who touched the ball last.

Corner or goal kick?

When the whole ball crosses the goal line (the short line at each end) outside the goal:

if a defending player touched it last, the attacking team gets a corner kick;
if an attacking player touched it last, the defending team gets a goal kick.

Corner kick rules (Law 17)

The ball is placed inside the corner arc nearest to where it crossed the line. Part of the ball can overhang the arc line.
The corner flag must not be moved.
Opponents must be at least 9.15 metres from the corner arc until the ball is in play. A small mark outside the arc helps referees judge this distance.
The ball is in play once it is kicked and clearly moves; it does not need to leave the arc.
The kicker cannot touch it again until another player has.
A goal can be scored directly from a corner against the opponents. This is called an "Olympic goal".
If the ball goes directly into the kicker's own goal, the opponents get a corner.
There is no offside from a corner kick received directly.

Short corners, where the taker passes to a nearby team-mate, are allowed and are often used to create a better crossing angle.

Goal kick rules (Law 16)

The ball must be stationary and can be placed anywhere inside the goal area (the small box).
Any player of the defending team can take it, not only the goalkeeper.
The ball is in play once it is kicked and clearly moves.
Opponents must stay outside the penalty area until the ball is in play.
A goal can be scored directly against the opponents (very rare, but legal).
There is no offside from a goal kick received directly.

The 2019 change: playing out from the back

Before 2019, the ball had to leave the penalty area before anyone could touch it, otherwise the goal kick was retaken. Since the 2019-20 season, the ball is in play as soon as it is kicked, so a goalkeeper can pass to a defender standing inside the penalty area. This has changed tactics significantly: many teams now build attacks with short passes from goal kicks, while opponents press high to try to win the ball near goal.

Corners in the statistics

Corner counts appear in the Stats tab of every EHScore match page. A high number usually means one side spent long periods in the attacking third, but corners alone are a weak predictor of goals; most do not lead to a shot on target. Read more about interpreting numbers in our match statistics guide.

Set-piece coaching

Professional clubs employ dedicated set-piece coaches who design corner routines: near-post flick-ons, players blocking markers, or deliveries aimed at the edge of the box. Defending teams choose between zonal marking, man-marking or a mix. Corners are one of the few moments in football that can be rehearsed in detail on the training ground.