Football News, Scores, Fixtures & League Tables

A player is offside if they are nearer to the opponents' goal line than both the ball and the second-last defender at the moment the ball is played to them. It only applies in the opponents' half, and a player cannot be offside directly from a throw-in, corner or goal kick.

"Soccer" comes from "association football", a 19th-century English nickname coined to separate it from rugby football. The word later faded in Britain but stuck in the United States, where "football" already meant American football.

It is the sport's great debate. Lionel Messi has more Ballon d'Or awards and a World Cup; Cristiano Ronaldo is football's all-time leading scorer with more Champions League titles. Both are widely regarded as the greatest players of their generation.

VAR (Video Assistant Referee) reviews four match-changing decisions — goals, penalties, direct red cards and mistaken identity — using video replays. It was rolled out across major competitions from 2018 onward.

Live scores update every few seconds during matches, and league tables refresh automatically the moment a game finishes.