Football glossary: key terms explained

Plain-English definitions of the football terms you'll see across LiveGoal's scores, tables and match pages. Tap a term for the full explanation.

• Offside — An attacker is offside if, at the moment a team-mate plays the ball, they are nearer the opponents' goal line than both the ball and the second-last defender (usually the last outfield defender plus the goalkeeper) — and then become involved in the play.
• Goal difference — Goal difference (GD) is the number of goals a team has scored minus the number it has conceded. A team that has scored 20 and conceded 8 has a goal difference of +12.
• Clean sheet — A team keeps a clean sheet when it concedes no goals in a match. The credit usually goes to the goalkeeper and the defence.
• Extra time — Extra time is two additional 15-minute periods played when a knockout match is level after 90 minutes, used to try to find a winner.
• Penalty shootout — A penalty shootout decides a knockout match that is still level after extra time. Teams take alternate penalty kicks from the penalty spot.
• Added time — Added time (also called stoppage or injury time) is the extra time the referee adds at the end of each half to make up for time lost during play.
• Aggregate — The aggregate score is the combined total of both matches in a two-legged tie (one home, one away). The team with the higher aggregate advances.
• VAR — VAR, the Video Assistant Referee, is a team of officials who review the on-field referee's decisions using video replays.
• Hat-trick — A hat-trick is three goals scored by the same player in a single match.
• Group stage — The group stage is the opening phase of a tournament where teams in the same group each play one another, and the top finishers advance to the knockout stage.

Want the rules of the tournament itself? See how the 2026 World Cup format works.