Football glossary

A multilingual football glossary explaining the rules, positions and tactics you'll hear referenced throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Around 50 key football terms — from offside and added time to VAR and the away-goals rule — defined in your language with cross-references between editions of the game.

A

A.E.T. (after extra time): Abbreviation indicating the final score was reached after two extra periods of 15 minutes each, played when a knockout match is level at the end of 90 minutes.
Added time: Extra minutes played at the end of each half to compensate for stoppages such as injuries, substitutions and time-wasting.
Advantage: Rule allowing the referee to let play continue after a foul if the fouled team has a better attacking opportunity.
AFC: Asian Football Confederation, governing football across Asia and Australia.
Away-goals rule: Historic tie-breaker counting away goals as more valuable in two-legged ties. Abolished by UEFA in 2021 and never used at the World Cup, which is single-leg from the knockout round.

B

Brace: Two goals scored by the same player in a single match.

C

CAF: Confederation of African Football, the regional body for African nations.
Cap: An individual appearance for a national team.
Captain: The on-field leader of a team, identified by an armband, traditionally responsible for the coin toss and for communicating with the referee.
Clean sheet: A match in which a goalkeeper or team does not concede any goals.
CONCACAF: Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football — the regional governing body for the United States, Canada, Mexico and the wider region.
CONMEBOL: South American Football Confederation, governing the ten federations of South America.
Corner kick: A set-piece restart awarded to the attacking team after the defending team puts the ball over its own goal line, taken from the nearest corner arc.

D

Derby: A match between two rivals, typically from the same city, region or with a long historical rivalry.
Draw: (1) A match that ends with both teams on equal score. (2) The ceremony that allocates teams into groups before the tournament.

E

Expected goals (xG): Statistical metric estimating the probability of a shot becoming a goal, between 0 and 1, based on factors such as distance, angle and shot type.
Extra time: Two additional 15-minute periods played at the end of a tied knockout match before a penalty shoot-out.

F

FIFA: Fédération Internationale de Football Association — the world governing body for the sport, founded in 1904 and headquartered in Zurich.
FIFA Ranking: Monthly ranking of national teams based on results, with weights for match importance and opponent strength.
Free kick: A restart awarded after a foul. Direct free kicks may be shot at goal; indirect free kicks must be touched by a second player.

G

Golden Ball: FIFA's award for the best player of the World Cup, first awarded in 1982. Voted by media representatives.
Golden Boot: FIFA's award for the top scorer of the World Cup, decided by goals; ties broken by assists, then fewer minutes played.
Golden goal: An obsolete sudden-death rule (1996–2004) where the first goal in extra time ended the match.
Group of death: Informal label for a tournament group containing several strong teams, all of whom would be favourites to advance from any other group.

H

Hat-trick: Three goals scored by the same player in a single match.
Host city: A city selected to stage matches. The 2026 tournament is hosted across 16 cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

I

Injury time: Synonym for added time; the minutes the referee adds at the end of each half to compensate for stoppages.

K

Kickoff: The start of a half or restart after a goal, taken from the centre of the field.
Knockout stage: Single-elimination stage in which the loser of each tie is removed from the tournament. The 2026 knockouts run from the Round of 32 to the Final.

M

Marquee match: Headline fixture between two high-profile teams, scheduled to attract maximum audience.
Matchday squad: The list of eligible players — eleven starters plus substitutes — registered for an individual match.

O

OFC: Oceania Football Confederation, governing football in the Pacific islands.
Offside: A player is in an offside position if any part of the head, body or feet is in the opposing half AND nearer the opposing goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent at the moment the ball is played to them.
Own goal: A goal scored when the ball enters the goal of the team last to touch it before crossing the line, credited as a goal against that team.

P

Penalty kick: A direct free shot from the penalty spot (11 metres) awarded for fouls or handballs by the defending team inside its own penalty area.
Penalty shoot-out: Tie-breaking procedure used after a draw at the end of extra time in knockout matches; teams alternate kicks from the penalty spot.

Q

Qualification: The two-year continental process by which national teams earn one of the 48 berths at the World Cup, plus an intercontinental play-off path.

R

Red card: Disciplinary sanction shown by the referee to send a player off the field. The player is not replaced; the team plays a player short.

S

Second yellow card: A second cautionable offence in the same match. The referee shows a second yellow card followed by a red, sending the player off.
Set piece: A restart with the ball stationary — free kick, corner, throw-in, kick-off, goal kick or penalty.
Stoppage time: Synonym for added/injury time — minutes added to compensate for stoppages.
Substitute: A player named to the matchday squad but who starts on the bench. Each team is permitted up to five substitutions across three windows, plus one concussion substitution.

T

Throw-in: Restart awarded to the team opposite to the one that put the ball out of play across the touch line, taken with both hands behind and over the head.
Tie-breaker: Sequential criteria used to rank teams level on points in a group: goal difference, goals scored, head-to-head, then disciplinary record, then drawing of lots.
Transfer window: The period during which clubs may register player transfers. Distinct from international squad selection, which happens just before each tournament.

U

UEFA: Union of European Football Associations — the governing body for football in Europe.

V

VAR: Video Assistant Referee. A team of officials reviewing key decisions on goals, penalties, direct red cards and cases of mistaken identity, using video footage.

W

Wall: A line of defending players placed at least 9.15 metres from the ball to block a free kick.
Wing-back: A wide player in a three-at-the-back system who attacks down the flank and tracks back to defend.

Y

Yellow card: Disciplinary caution shown by the referee for offences such as unsporting behaviour. Two yellow cards in the same match equal a red.

A.E.T. (after extra time)

Abbreviation indicating the final score was reached after two extra periods of 15 minutes each, played when a knockout match is level at the end of 90 minutes.

Added time

Extra minutes played at the end of each half to compensate for stoppages such as injuries, substitutions and time-wasting.

Advantage

Rule allowing the referee to let play continue after a foul if the fouled team has a better attacking opportunity.

AFC

Asian Football Confederation, governing football across Asia and Australia.

Away-goals rule

Historic tie-breaker counting away goals as more valuable in two-legged ties. Abolished by UEFA in 2021 and never used at the World Cup, which is single-leg from the knockout round.

CAF

Confederation of African Football, the regional body for African nations.

Cap

An individual appearance for a national team.

Captain

The on-field leader of a team, identified by an armband, traditionally responsible for the coin toss and for communicating with the referee.

Clean sheet

A match in which a goalkeeper or team does not concede any goals.

CONCACAF

Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football — the regional governing body for the United States, Canada, Mexico and the wider region.

CONMEBOL

South American Football Confederation, governing the ten federations of South America.

Corner kick

A set-piece restart awarded to the attacking team after the defending team puts the ball over its own goal line, taken from the nearest corner arc.

FIFA

Fédération Internationale de Football Association — the world governing body for the sport, founded in 1904 and headquartered in Zurich.

FIFA Ranking

Monthly ranking of national teams based on results, with weights for match importance and opponent strength.

Free kick

A restart awarded after a foul. Direct free kicks may be shot at goal; indirect free kicks must be touched by a second player.

Golden Ball

FIFA's award for the best player of the World Cup, first awarded in 1982. Voted by media representatives.

Golden Boot

FIFA's award for the top scorer of the World Cup, decided by goals; ties broken by assists, then fewer minutes played.

Golden goal

An obsolete sudden-death rule (1996–2004) where the first goal in extra time ended the match.

Group of death

Informal label for a tournament group containing several strong teams, all of whom would be favourites to advance from any other group.

OFC

Oceania Football Confederation, governing football in the Pacific islands.

Offside

A player is in an offside position if any part of the head, body or feet is in the opposing half AND nearer the opposing goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent at the moment the ball is played to them.

Own goal

A goal scored when the ball enters the goal of the team last to touch it before crossing the line, credited as a goal against that team.

Second yellow card

A second cautionable offence in the same match. The referee shows a second yellow card followed by a red, sending the player off.

Set piece

A restart with the ball stationary — free kick, corner, throw-in, kick-off, goal kick or penalty.

Stoppage time

Synonym for added/injury time — minutes added to compensate for stoppages.

Substitute

A player named to the matchday squad but who starts on the bench. Each team is permitted up to five substitutions across three windows, plus one concussion substitution.

Throw-in

Restart awarded to the team opposite to the one that put the ball out of play across the touch line, taken with both hands behind and over the head.

Tie-breaker

Sequential criteria used to rank teams level on points in a group: goal difference, goals scored, head-to-head, then disciplinary record, then drawing of lots.

Transfer window

The period during which clubs may register player transfers. Distinct from international squad selection, which happens just before each tournament.