Beginner's Guide: The Basic Rules of Football
Are you just discovering football? In this article, I'll briefly explain the basic rules so you can watch any match without getting lost.
Watching the games but still not sure how it all works? This article is a quick guide that explains the basic rules of football in a way that everyone can understand.
How many minutes does a football match last?
A standard football match has 2 halves of 45 minutes, with a 15-minute break in between. At the end, the referee can add a few minutes of extra time to make up for time lost due to substitutions, injuries, or video reviews.
How do you win a match?
The object of the game is simple: score more goals than your opponent. The ball must pass entirely over the goal line, between the goalposts and under the crossbar, to be considered a goal.
What is offside?
Offside is the rule that prevents attackers from "sitting around" near the opponent's goal. A player is offside if, at the moment of the pass, he is closer to the opponent's goal than the ball and than the penultimate opponent player (usually the last defender + goalkeeper).
If the referee sees offside, play stops and the ball goes to the opponent, through a free kick.
Fouls, free kicks and penalties
- Foul – when a player hits, pushes or tackles an opponent illegally.
- Free kick – awarded to the fouled team; opponents must be at least 9.15 meters from the ball.
- Penalty – awarded if the foul occurs inside the penalty area. The kick is taken from 11 meters, only with the goalkeeper in front.
Yellow and red cards
- Yellow – warning for rough tackles or unsportsmanlike behavior.
- Red – direct expulsion or two yellow cards. The team is left with one player less.
Competitions: championships and cups
At the club level, you have championships (like national leagues) where everyone plays with everyone, and cups, where you play in a knockout format. In national teams, the most famous competitions are the World Cup and the European Championship.
What's next?
Now that you know the basic rules, the next step is to see how well you master them. On TestFootball.com you will find tests and quizzes about football to test your knowledge and learn at the same time.
Test Your Football Knowledge
Think you know your football? Put it to the test with our games.
Who Are Ya?
Test your ability to identify football players through strategic questions and clues from top European leagues.
Career Path
Follow the journey of football stars and guess their career progression through different clubs and achievements.
Try to name Clubs
Test your knowledge of football clubs by naming all teams from a selected league. Beat your personal record and compete for the fastest time!
Football Tier List
Rank every player from a team into tiers — GOAT, Elite, Very Good and more. Share your result and compare with the community!