Football Glossary: The Terms Every Fan Should Know
Commentators, pundits and score apps use a lot of shorthand. This glossary explains the words you will hear most often, grouped alphabetically. Bookmark it and come back whenever a term is unfamiliar.
A to C
- Added time: minutes played after 45 or 90 to make up for stoppages. Also called stoppage time or injury time. See stoppage time explained.
- Advantage: when the referee lets play continue after a foul because stopping would help the team that committed it.
- Aggregate: the combined score of two matches in a two-legged tie.
- Assist: the pass or touch that sets up a goal. Definitions vary slightly between data providers.
- Back four / back three: the line of defenders in front of the goalkeeper.
- Bicycle kick: an overhead kick made with the player's back to goal while in the air.
- Box: the penalty area, the large rectangle in front of each goal.
- Brace: two goals by one player in a match.
- Cap: an appearance for a national team. A player with 50 caps has played 50 internationals.
- Clean sheet: a match in which a team does not concede a goal.
- Counter-attack: a fast attack launched immediately after winning the ball.
- Cross: a pass from a wide area into the penalty area.
D to G
- Derby: a match between two local rivals, usually from the same city or region.
- Dead ball: any restart where the ball is stationary, such as a free kick or corner.
- Dribble: running with the ball while keeping close control, often to beat an opponent.
- Equaliser: a goal that makes the score level.
- Extra time: two 15-minute periods played when a knockout match is level.
- False nine: a centre-forward who drops deep into midfield instead of staying near goal.
- Final third: the third of the pitch nearest the opponents' goal.
- Fixture: a scheduled match.
- Form: a team's recent results, often shown as W, D and L for the last five matches.
- Gegenpressing: German for counter-pressing: trying to win the ball back immediately after losing it.
- Goal difference: goals scored minus goals conceded, used to rank teams level on points.
- Golden Boot: the award for a competition's top scorer.
H to N
- Hat-trick: three goals by one player in a match. A "perfect" hat-trick is one with the left foot, one with the right and one header.
- Header: playing the ball with the head.
- High line: a defence that positions itself far up the pitch to squeeze space.
- Injury time: another name for added time.
- Kick-off: the restart at the centre spot that begins each half and follows every goal.
- Leg: one of the two matches in a two-legged tie.
- Loan: a temporary transfer of a player to another club.
- Man of the match: the player judged to have performed best in a match.
- Marking: staying close to an opponent to stop them receiving the ball. Can be man-to-man or zonal.
- Matchday: a round of fixtures in a league or competition.
- Nutmeg: playing the ball through an opponent's legs.
O to R
- Offside: the rule that stops attackers waiting behind the defence. See our offside guide.
- One-two: a quick pass to a team-mate who immediately passes back, also called a wall pass.
- Own goal: a goal a player accidentally scores into their own net.
- Parking the bus: defending with almost all players behind the ball.
- Penalty: a free shot from 11 metres awarded for a foul in the penalty area.
- Playmaker: the creative player who organises attacks.
- Pressing: putting pressure on opponents with the ball to force mistakes.
- Promotion and relegation: moving up or down a division based on final league position.
- Rabona: kicking the ball by wrapping the kicking leg behind the standing leg.
- Red card: a sending-off. The player must leave and cannot be replaced.
S to Z
- Set piece: a planned move from a dead ball, such as a corner or free kick.
- Sitter: an easy chance that is missed.
- Squad rotation: changing the starting lineup to rest players during a busy schedule.
- Stoppage time: see added time.
- Tackle: taking the ball from an opponent with the feet.
- Through ball: a pass played into space behind the defence for a team-mate to run onto.
- Treble: winning three major trophies in one season, usually the league, domestic cup and a European cup.
- Unbeaten run: a sequence of matches without defeat.
- VAR: Video Assistant Referee. See VAR explained.
- Volley: kicking the ball before it touches the ground.
- Wing-back: a wide player who combines the roles of full-back and winger.
- xG (expected goals): a measure of chance quality. See our match statistics guide.
- Yellow card: a caution. Two in one match lead to a red card.
- Zonal marking: defending an area of the pitch rather than a specific opponent.
Want the scoreboard abbreviations too? Read How to Read Live Football Scores for FT, HT, AET, PEN and more.