Glossary

UEFA’s table that sets how many clubs each country enters in its club competitions and at which stage they start, based on the association coefficient.

Extra payments in a transfer that fall due only if conditions are met, such as a number of appearances, trophies won or qualification for a European competition.

When a foul happens but stopping play would hurt the team that was fouled, the referee lets play continue. If the expected benefit does not arrive within a few seconds, the referee can go back and penalise the original offence.

The combined score over both legs of a two-legged tie. The team with more goals on aggregate goes through.

The accounting method that spreads the cost of a transfer fee evenly over the length of the player’s contract, instead of counting it all in the year of purchase. Under UEFA’s financial rules the period used cannot be longer than five years.

The final pass or touch that leads directly to a goal. Competitions and data providers differ on details, such as whether deflected passes or winning a penalty count.

A former tie-breaker for two-legged ties in which, if the aggregate score was level, the team that scored more goals away from home went through. UEFA abolished it in all its club competitions from the 2021/22 season and uses extra time and a penalty shoot-out instead.

A judgment of the European Court of Justice in December 1995, in a case brought by the Belgian player Jean-Marc Bosman. It meant players in the European Union could move between member states for free once their contracts ended, and it ended limits on how many players from other EU countries a club could field.

Two goals scored by the same player in one match.

Income from television and streaming rights, including the money clubs receive for taking part in domestic leagues, cups and UEFA competitions.

How a team moves the ball out from the back, usually starting with the goalkeeper and centre-backs, to get past the opponents’ first line of pressure.

A term that gives the selling club the right to re-sign the player later for a fee agreed at the time of the sale.

A central defender whose main job is to protect the area in front of goal. Most teams play with two or three.

A match in which a team, and its goalkeeper, do not concede a goal.

In UEFA’s system a diploma is awarded when a coach passes a course, and the licence is the permission to coach at that level that follows. A licence is valid for three years and must then be renewed.

The few key pieces of advice a coach wants players to take from an exercise, such as the body shape to use when receiving a pass.

When a league sells the broadcast rights to all its clubs’ matches together and shares the money under agreed rules, instead of each club selling its own. In Spain it became compulsory for the top two divisions under a 2015 law, Real Decreto-ley 5/2015.

Income from sponsorship, merchandise and other business activities such as stadium tours and events.

Keeping the distances between players, and between defence, midfield and attack, short so the opponents have little space to play through.

One of the six continental bodies under FIFA, namely the AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), Concacaf (North and Central America and the Caribbean), CONMEBOL (South America), OFC (Oceania) and UEFA (Europe). Each runs its own club and national-team competitions.

A fast attack launched straight after winning the ball, aiming to strike before the opponents can reorganise.

The last day of a transfer window, when clubs often try to complete late deals before registration closes.

An annual ranking, by the professional services firm Deloitte, of the clubs with the highest revenue, split into matchday, broadcast and commercial income.

Stopping an opponent’s clear chance to score by committing an offence, which is normally punished with a red card. If the foul happens in the defender’s own penalty area and was an attempt to play the ball or a challenge for the ball, the referee awards a penalty and shows a yellow card instead.

A match between two rival clubs, usually from the same city or region.

A restart given for fouls such as kicking, tripping, pushing or holding an opponent, and for handball. The kicker may score straight into the opponents’ goal.

Since the 2025/26 Laws, a goalkeeper who holds the ball in the hands for more than eight seconds concedes a corner kick to the opponents. The referee counts down the last five seconds with a raised hand.

A record of every on-ball action in a match, such as passes, shots, tackles and fouls, each tagged with a time, a pitch location and the player involved. It is usually logged by trained staff working from video.

A measure of the quality of the chances a player creates with passes. Data providers calculate it differently, some using the xG of the shot that followed the pass and others the likelihood that a pass becomes an assist.

The probability that a shot becomes a goal, worked out from large numbers of similar past shots using factors such as distance, angle and type of chance. A shot worth 0.1 xG is scored about one time in ten, and a team’s xG is the total for all its shots.

An estimate of the points a team would usually earn from a match, found by replaying it many times in a simulation using the xG of every shot. Over a season it hints at whether results have been luckier or unluckier than the chances suggest.

A model that divides the pitch into zones and rates each by how likely possession there is to lead to a goal, so passes and carries earn credit for moving the ball into more dangerous zones. The analyst Karun Singh introduced the term in a 2019 blog post.

Two additional periods of no more than 15 minutes each, played when a knockout match needs a winner and the score is level. If it is still level afterwards, a penalty shoot-out usually follows.

A centre-forward who drops into midfield instead of staying high against the centre-backs. The aim is to drag defenders out of position and open space for team-mates to run into.

A team’s share of all the passes or touches made in the attacking third by both teams in a match. It measures territorial dominance rather than simple possession.

A payment body set up by FIFA and based in Paris that calculates and pays training compensation and solidarity contributions between clubs.

FIFA’s tournament for clubs from all six confederations. The 2025 edition, held in the United States, was the first with 32 clubs.

FIFA’s men’s national-team tournament, held every four years. From the 2026 edition it has 48 teams in 12 groups of four, with the top two in each group and the eight best third-placed teams reaching a round of 32.

UEFA’s financial rules approved in 2010, whose central break-even requirement asked clubs not to spend more than they earned over a set period. UEFA replaced them with its Financial Sustainability Regulations, approved in April 2022.

Since the 2026/27 Laws, a referee can start a visible five-second countdown when a team deliberately delays a throw-in or goal kick. If the restart is not taken in time, a throw-in passes to the opponents and a goal kick becomes a corner kick for them.

A person who represents a player, coach or club in negotiations over contracts and transfers. Since FIFA’s Football Agent Regulations took full effect on 1 October 2023, agents working on international deals have needed a FIFA licence, obtained by passing an exam.

UEFA’s break-even test, which limits the losses a club in its competitions may make over three years. The acceptable deviation is up to €60 million over three years and can be higher for clubs in good financial health.

The basic shape a team lines up in, written as numbers from defence to attack, such as 4-3-3 or 3-5-2, with the goalkeeper left out. Most teams change shape between attacking and defending.

An extra match official, usually standing between the two benches, who manages substitutions, shows the added-time board and helps the referee with other duties.

A move with no transfer fee, usually because the player’s contract has ended. The new club may still pay the player a signing-on bonus and pay fees to agents.

A defender on the right or left side of a back four. Modern full-backs are usually expected to support attacks as well as defend.

A coach’s description of how the team should play in every phase of a match, with the ball, without it and in transition. Training sessions are then designed around it.

German for counter-pressing, meaning an immediate, collective press in the seconds after losing the ball. The idea is to win it back while the opponents are still disorganised.

Goals scored minus goals conceded. It is a common tie-breaker for teams level on points.

Cameras or sensors that tell the referee, through a signal to a watch, whether the ball has crossed the goal line. A goal counts only when the whole of the ball is over the line between the posts and under the crossbar.

A round in which teams are split into small groups that each play a round-robin, with the best-placed teams going through to the knockout rounds.

The two channels running the length of the pitch between the centre and each wing. A player who receives the ball there can pass, shoot or dribble in more directions and is harder to mark than a player on the touchline.

An offence when a player deliberately touches the ball with the hand or arm, or touches it with an arm held in a position that makes the body unnaturally bigger. For this purpose the arm starts at the bottom of the armpit, and a player may never score directly with the hand or arm, even by accident.

Three goals scored by the same player in one match. A so-called perfect hat-trick is one goal with each foot and one with the head.

A tie-breaker that separates teams level on points by their results against each other. LaLiga applies it first, while the Premier League looks first at overall goal difference and goals scored.

Defending high up the pitch, close to the opponents’ goal, to win the ball back quickly. It needs coordinated pressing and a high defensive line, which leaves space behind the defenders.

In UEFA club competitions at least eight of the 25 places on a club’s main squad list are reserved for locally trained players, and no more than four of those eight may be association-trained rather than club-trained. A player qualifies by being registered for three full seasons, or 36 months, between the ages of 15 and 21 with the club itself (club-trained) or with clubs of the same national association (association-trained).

The body that decides the Laws of the Game. FIFA has four votes and the football associations of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have one each, and any change needs six of the eight votes.

A restart given for less serious offences, such as playing in a dangerous manner without contact. The referee raises an arm, and a goal counts only if another player touches the ball before it goes in.

The certificate a player’s former national association must issue before the player can be registered in another country. FIFA’s rules say it must be issued free of charge and without conditions.

A full-back who moves into central midfield when the team has the ball, instead of running down the wing. It adds an extra passer in the middle and extra cover against counter-attacks.

An agreement under which a sportswear company makes and sells a club’s shirts and kit, usually paying the club a fee and often a share of sales. It is separate from the shirt sponsor whose name appears on the front.

A two-legged round for the clubs that finish 9th to 24th in a UEFA league phase, with the winners joining the top eight in the round of 16. Clubs finishing 25th or lower are eliminated.

The maximum each LaLiga club may spend in a season on its squads, covering wages, social security, bonuses, transfer costs including agents’ fees, and amortisation, for first-team players and the head coach, assistant coach and fitness coach, and for reserve teams, the academy and other sections. Each club’s limit is approved by LaLiga’s Validation Body and the figures are published on LaLiga’s website.

The official rulebook of football, made up of 17 Laws that cover everything from the pitch and the ball to fouls, offside and restarts. It is written and updated every year by the IFAB.

Since 2024/25, the first main stage of the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League, in which all 36 clubs are ranked in a single table. Each club plays eight different opponents, or six in the Conference League, half at home and half away.

A temporary move in which a player joins another club for an agreed period while remaining under contract with the original club. FIFA’s rules also limit how many professionals a club may have loaned in and out at the same time, with exemptions for young club-trained players.

A loan in which the borrowing club must sign the player permanently at the end, often once agreed conditions are met, such as a number of appearances or avoiding relegation.

A loan that gives the borrowing club the right, but not the duty, to sign the player permanently for a fee agreed in advance.

Defending deep, close to your own penalty area, with little space between the lines of players. It protects the goal but gives up territory, so counter-attacks become the main route forward.

Defending by staying close to one particular opponent and following that player wherever they go.

Income from home matches, mainly ticket and season-ticket sales and corporate hospitality.

Defending from around the halfway line, letting the opponents keep the ball in their own half but pressing once it reaches midfield.

When one owner or investor controls or influences more than one club, often in different countries. UEFA’s rules bar the same person or company from having control or decisive influence over more than one club taking part in its club competitions, with exceptions for some pairs of clubs playing in different competitions.

A sponsorship deal in which a company pays to put its name on a stadium, training ground, stand or competition.

Expected goals with penalty kicks taken out. Penalties carry a high, fixed value, so removing them gives a fairer picture of the chances a player or team creates otherwise.

An attacking midfielder who plays in the space between the opponents’ midfield and defence and creates chances with passes, dribbles and shots.

The deepest central midfielder, who shields the defence and often starts attacks with simple passes. The numbers 6, 8 and 10 come from traditional shirt numbering and now describe roles, not what a player wears.

A central midfielder who covers ground between both penalty areas, helping to win the ball back and arriving to support attacks.

A player is in an offside position when, in the opponents’ half, any part of the head, body or feet (not the hands or arms) is nearer the opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent, who is usually the last defender in front of the goalkeeper. Being there is not an offence in itself; it becomes one only if the player gets involved in active play after a team-mate plays or touches the ball.

Defenders stepping forward together, just before an opponent passes, so that an attacker is left in an offside position.

When the VAR recommends it, the referee goes to a screen beside the pitch to watch replays before making the final decision. It is used mostly for judgement calls, while factual questions such as an offside position can be settled on the VAR’s information alone.

A run around the outside of a team-mate who has the ball, usually by a full-back past a winger. The same run on the inside is called an underlap.

Putting more of your players than the opponents in one area of the pitch, such as three against two on a wing, to create a free player.

A goal a player accidentally puts into their own team’s net. It counts for the opponents but is not credited to any of their players.

Payments the Premier League makes to clubs relegated from it, for up to three seasons and falling each year, to soften the drop in income.

The number of passes a team allows the opponents to make, in an agreed area of the pitch, for each of its own defensive actions such as tackles, interceptions and fouls. The lower the number, the more intense the pressing.

A direct free kick taken from the penalty mark, 11 metres from goal, with only the goalkeeper to beat. It is awarded when a defending player commits a direct-free-kick offence inside their own penalty area.

The tie-breaker used when a knockout match is still level after normal time, and extra time if played. Each team takes five kicks in turn, and if they remain level the kicks continue one pair at a time until one team is ahead after the same number of kicks.

A statistic divided by a player’s minutes played and multiplied by 90, so that players with different amounts of playing time can be compared. Figures built on only a few matches can be misleading.

A staff member who studies video and data on their own team and opponents to help coaches prepare for matches and review them afterwards.

Planning training across days, weeks and a whole season so that players are fresh for matches and the risk of overload and injury is kept down.

Extra knockout matches played after the regular season to decide a final promotion place, or sometimes another prize such as a place in Europe or survival.

The profit a club records when it sells a player for more than the player’s remaining book value, which is the part of the original fee not yet written off through amortisation.

A way of attacking in which players spread across agreed zones of the pitch so the player on the ball always has passing options. The aim is to create a free player who can move the ball forward.

The share of a match in which a team has the ball. Providers calculate it in different ways, some by timing possession and others by counting passes, and a high figure shows control but not whether it produced chances.

Any model that credits passes, carries and other actions by how much they raise or lower a team’s chance of scoring. Expected threat is one well-known example.

An expected goals value for shots on target, calculated after the ball is struck and taking account of where it is heading in the goal. Comparing it with goals actually conceded is a common way to judge a goalkeeper’s shot-stopping.

An agreement to join a new club once a player’s current contract ends. Under FIFA’s transfer rules a player may agree one when the current contract has six months or less left to run, although domestic rules can differ.

Actively closing down the opponent with the ball to force a mistake or win it back, instead of waiting in position. Teams press at different heights, from near the opponents’ goal to near their own.

A pre-agreed cue that tells the whole team to press together, such as a backward pass, a heavy touch or a pass to a player facing their own goal.

Simple, shared rules that guide players’ decisions, such as width and depth when attacking or pressure and cover when defending.

Money paid by a competition organiser to clubs for taking part and for their results. The Deloitte Football Money League counts payments from UEFA competitions as broadcast revenue.

The Premier League’s former financial rules, which limited how much a club could lose over a rolling three-season period, normally up to £105 million, with some spending, such as on youth development, women’s football and community work, left out of the calculation. From the 2026/27 season they were replaced by the Squad Cost Ratio and new sustainability rules.

A run with the ball that moves it a significant distance closer to the opponents’ goal. As with progressive passes, the exact thresholds depend on the data provider.

A completed pass that moves the ball a significant distance closer to the opponents’ goal, or into their penalty area. Each data provider sets its own thresholds, so figures from different sites are not directly comparable.

Moving up to a higher division, usually by finishing near the top of the table or by winning a play-off.

A sending-off for offences such as serious foul play, violent conduct or denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity, or for a second yellow card. The player must leave the field and cannot be replaced, so the team plays on with one fewer.

A fixed sum written into a player’s contract that allows the contract to be ended early if it is paid. Spanish law on professional athletes’ employment allows this compensation to be agreed in advance, and Spanish contracts commonly set such a figure.

Dropping down to a lower division after finishing near the bottom of the table.

The players a team keeps behind the ball while it attacks, positioned to stop a counter-attack if possession is lost.

A possession exercise in which a group keeps the ball inside a circle or square while one or more players in the middle try to win it.

A format in which every team plays every other team in its league or group, either once or twice.

The amount of data behind a number. Small samples, such as a handful of matches, can make a player or team look much better or worse than they really are.

Ranking teams before a draw and placing them in pots, so that the strongest teams are kept apart in the early rounds.

A term in a transfer agreement that gives the selling club a share of any fee the buying club later receives if it sells the player on. The share may be of the whole future fee or only of the profit.

A system that uses tracking cameras, and in some competitions a sensor inside the ball, to follow the ball and players’ limbs and alert the video officials to a possible offside. The officials still check and confirm every decision; FIFA used the system at the 2022 World Cup.

A written outline of a training session that sets out its aim, the exercises in order, timings, space and equipment, and the coaching points.

A move that starts from a restart with the ball stationary, such as a corner kick, free kick, throw-in or penalty kick. Because the ball is still, teams can plan and rehearse these moves in detail in training.

The company that pays for its name or logo on the front of a club’s shirt, usually the club’s most visible commercial partner.

A practice match with fewer players on a smaller pitch, such as four against four. Each player gets more touches and more decisions than in a full match.

A Spanish form of limited company designed for professional sports clubs. A 1990 Spanish sports law required most professional clubs to adopt it, with a few exceptions that kept their member-owned status.

Members of a member-owned club, who pay a yearly fee and can vote in club elections. In Spain a few professional clubs are still member-owned associations rather than sports companies.

Under FIFA’s transfer rules, 5% of any fee paid for a player during a contract is set aside and shared among the clubs that trained the player between the ages of 12 and 23. The FIFA Clearing House calculates and pays it.

Qualifications for particular coaching roles that sit alongside the main C, B, A and Pro levels. They cover youth development (Youth B and Elite Youth A), goalkeeping (Goalkeeper B and A) and futsal (Futsal B).

A club’s spending on player and head coach wages, transfer amortisation and agents’ fees, divided by its revenue. The Premier League’s version, in full force from 2026/27, sets a threshold of 85% of football revenue plus net profit or loss on player sales, with a limited allowance above it that triggers a levy.

Time added at the end of each half to make up for minutes lost to substitutions, injuries, goal celebrations, VAR checks, time-wasting and other delays. The fourth official shows the minimum on a board, and the referee can add more but never less.

The marked zone beside the pitch from which one team official at a time may give tactical instructions during a match.

Winning a country’s league and its main domestic cup in the same season. A treble usually means adding a continental title as well.

A move in which one player passes to a second, who passes first time to a third player already running into space. Defenders tend to watch the first pass, so the third player’s run is hard to track.

The positions of every player and the ball, recorded many times per second, usually by cameras around the stadium. It shows what happens away from the ball, such as runs, spacing and pressing distances.

A payment under FIFA’s transfer rules to the clubs that trained a player between the ages of 12 and 21. It falls due when the player signs a first professional contract and on certain later moves up to the age of 23.

The money one club pays another to release a player from a contract early so the player can join the buying club.

FIFA’s online platform through which clubs and national associations record and process international transfers.

The periods in which clubs may register new players, set by each national association within limits laid down in FIFA’s transfer rules. There is normally a longer window before the season and a shorter one in the middle of it.

The moments just after the ball changes hands. An attacking transition follows winning the ball and a defensive transition follows losing it.

A knockout pairing decided over two matches, one at each team’s home ground.

The level below UEFA’s top award, aimed mainly at head coaches of top amateur teams and, in some cases, members of a professional club’s coaching staff. The course lasts at least 180 hours and requires a UEFA B licence and coaching experience in 11-a-side football.

The second UEFA level, for coaches of youth and adult amateur teams. The course lasts at least 120 hours and requires a UEFA C licence and at least six months of coaching experience.

The entry-level UEFA coaching qualification, aimed at grassroots coaches. The course lasts at least 60 hours and needs no previous qualification.

An agreement between UEFA and national associations that sets minimum standards for coach education and lets coaching qualifications be recognised across the countries that sign it. It was introduced in 1998 and last updated in 2020.

Ranking points earned from results in UEFA’s club competitions, counted over the last five seasons. Club coefficients are used for seeding, and association (country) coefficients decide each country’s position in UEFA’s access list.

UEFA’s highest coaching award, aimed at head coaches of professional clubs’ first teams. The course lasts at least 360 hours and requires a UEFA A licence plus at least a year of coaching experience at a high level after gaining it.

UEFA’s limit on how much clubs in its competitions may spend on player and coach wages, transfers and agents’ fees, as a share of revenue. It was phased in at 90% for 2023/24 and 80% for 2024/25, and has been 70% since 2025/26.

A match official who watches replays and advises the referee, stepping in only for clear and obvious errors or serious missed incidents. Reviews are limited to a short list of match-changing situations, mainly goals, penalty decisions, red cards and cases of mistaken identity.

A club’s total wage bill divided by its revenue. It is a common quick test of how much of a club’s income is committed to salaries.

A wide player in a system with three centre-backs who covers the whole flank, from defence to attack. The role asks for more attacking running than a traditional full-back.

A caution shown for offences such as unsporting behaviour, dissent or persistent offences. A second yellow card in the same match leads to a red card.

Defending by guarding an area of the pitch rather than a particular opponent. It is used in open play and when defending set pieces.

A German league rule requiring the members’ club to keep at least half of the voting rights plus one vote in the company that runs its professional team. It is designed to stop outside investors from taking control, and Germany’s competition authority has said it can be lawful if applied consistently.