Soccer Scoring Rules (2024)

Home>Soccer

Posted by Rookie Road Staff

PreviousNext

Soccer is a sport played by all ages that has garnered worldwide popularity. The rules of soccer, also known as association football, are relatively simple. Read on to learn more about scoring goals in soccer.

What Is a Goal in Soccer?

In the sport of soccer, teams work together to score goals to win the game. A goal is scored when the ball fully crosses the goal line between the goalposts and under the crossbar.A goal is worth one point in a soccer match, regardless of where it is scored.

The goal lines are the shorter of the boundary lines where the goals are positioned that form the perimeter of the field. The goalkeeper protects this line because a goal is scored if a ball completely crosses this line and goes into the goal.

Who Can Score in Soccer?

A goal is one of the most exciting parts of any match, and it can be scored in a variety of ways. Anyone can score a goal, regardless of position.Typically, offensive players, known as strikers, score the most. Midfielders and defenders score less frequently but often still play a critical role in a team’s offense. Although rare, even goalkeepers can score goals as well.

The team on offense is in possession of the ball and can attempt to score by taking a shot, which is simply the act of kicking or heading (hitting the ball with the head) the ball in the direction of the goal. If a single player scores three goals in a single match, this is known as a hat trick.

What Is Aggregate Scoring?

Aggregate scoring is the total number of goals scored by a team in a series of two or more games played.In multi-legged tournaments, aggregate scoring determines which team moves on if both teams have the same number of wins and losses.

Usually, aggregate scoring is used in tournaments that feature stages with two legs, which means two teams may play each other twice to determine a winner, with one match at home and the other away. The combined score of the two matches is the aggregate score, with the team with the higher number of goals moving on to the next stage.

If the overall aggregate score is tied after the games are completed, there are two primary methods of deciding a winner. In some cases, tournaments determine the winner of a tiebreaker based on which team scored the most goals in away matches.This is known as the away goals rule.For example, Teams A and B played twice. Team A won at home 1-0, and Team B won at home 2-1. While the overall aggregate score is 2-2, Team A scored more goals while playing away and, therefore, would advance.

Alternatively, if the away goals rule is not being used, the last match goes to extra time and, if still tied, to a penalty shootout.In a penalty shootout, each team has five shots on goal from penalty kick distance to score the most goals.

How is the Winning Team Determined if the Score is Tied After Regulation Time?

Most soccer matches end in a draw if the score is tied at the end of regulation. If the match is part of a tournament that requires a winner to be determined, a match winner is decided in one of three ways:

1. Extra Time: the team with the higher score after two 15-minute extra time periods wins.
2. Away Goals Rule:the team with the higher score in aggregate play wins.
3. Penalty Kicks:the team with the higher score after five penalty kicks wins

In certain tournaments, such as club competitions or the group stage at the FIFA World Cup, the match is permitted to end in a draw.At the FIFA World Cup, when all head-to-head matches are completed, a team’s total points are tallied for wins, draws, and losses to determine which teams advance from the group stage.

How Does Scoring Work at the World Cup?

During the group stage of the FIFA World Cup, aggregate scoring is used to break ties between teams that had the same number of points after their three group matches. Teams receive three points for a win, one point for a tie, and zero points for a loss.The team with the most cumulative points advances as the winner of their group, and the runner-up also advances. If there are ties, then goal differential is used to determine the final standings, followed by goals scored and then a head-to-head competition.

This group stage scoring is the same system used in Olympic soccer.

Soccer Scoring Rules Summary

• To score a goal, the ball must pass over the goal line, between the goalposts, and under the crossbar.
• Any player may score a goal (including goalkeepers!).
• In some tournaments, aggregate scoring is used, in which the team with the most goals over two or more matches wins.
• If a match is tied, a winner can be decided through extra time, aggregate scoring, or penalty shootouts.
• In tournaments with a group stage (such as the World Cup and the Olympics), teams receive three points for each win, one point for each tie, and zero points for each loss in the group stage, and cumulative scores are used to determine which team advances.

Soccer Scoring Terminology and Lingo

Here are some concepts that are related to scoring rules in soccer, listed in alphabetical order:

• Aggregate
• Aggregate Score
• Away Goals Rule
• Extra Time
• Goal
• Goal Line
• Hat Trick
• Header
• Offense
• Own Goal
• Penalty Shootout
• Points
• Score Lines
• Shooting
• Shot
• Tie and Equalizer
• VAR

FAQ

Pages Related to Soccer Scoring Rules

• How To Play Soccer
• Soccer Fullback
• Soccer Stoppage Time
• FIFA World Cup Group Stage Rules
• Soccer Extra Time
• Who Are Manchester City's Biggest Rivals?

PreviousNext