Soccer or football unlike most other ball sports has pretty complicated rules about whether the whole ball has to cross the line to be considered a goal or out of bounds
While football has simple rules to follow in terms of general play, it can get a bit complicated at times.
Explained What Are The Goal Rules In Football And Does The Ball Need To Cross The Entire Line
Chris, years ago I finally learned that the forever rule in soccer/football is that the WHOLE of the ball must cross the line to be called out. It looks like it crossed the line but VAR showed 1cm of the “equator” was still inside the line. This picture may help pic.twitter.com/NgngGaeJCI
— RobertsFrank (@frankro51942974) December 2, 2022
In the NFL part of the ball has to cross the line. In soccer the whole ball has to cross the line. pic.twitter.com/Ikal7ZebPC
— Bredders (@GIazersOut) July 10, 2022
In recent times, however, the development of goal-line technology and Video assistant referees (VAR), have become a great help.
When To Consider A Goal Or Out Of Bounds
To put it simply, yes, the whole soccer ball has to fully cross the line (100%) in order to be considered it a goal or out of bounds. When a ball only crosses the line partially, it is not considered as a goal or out of bounds.
The “Laws of the Game”, which guide the rules of football, state the following rules in the two scenarios:
- A goal is only scored when it fully crosses the goal
Law 10 of the Laws of the Game, points out the definition of how a goal is scored as:
“A goal is scored when the whole of the ball passes over the goal line, between the goalposts and under the crossbar, provided that no offence has been committed by the team scoring the goal.”
This means that the ball has to fully cross the goal line before it can be considered as a goal. If in case even a small part of the ball still touches the line, the referee cannot award a goal. Although it may be easy to spot at times, this can get pretty complicated without goal-line technology.
- A ball is out of play only when it fully crosses the line
Law 9 of the Laws of the Game, when a ball can be considered out of play as:
“The ball is out of play when it has wholly passed over the goal line or touchline on the ground or in the air”
This means that the ball has to completely cross the touchline in order to be considered out of play.
Other Factors To Consider
Given below are some more factors to keep in mind when considering a goal:
- For a ball to be considered a goal, 100% of the ball has to fully cross the line. Half the ball or even 99% does not count as a goal or out of bounds.
- When the ball crosses the line while fully in the air, it will still be considered a goal. However, the ball must be between the goalposts and under the crossbar. Moreover, players must ensure that they do no commit any offence before scoring the goal.
- In soccer, the player’s position does not matter. All that matters is whether the ball fully crosses the touchline or the goal line.
- When a goalie catches the ball while trying to save it, here again, the only thing that matters is if the ball fully crosses the line.