Beginner’s Guide To Soccer for the big tournament

Here’s a beginners guide to soccer so you can keep up with the rules while watching the 2026 FIFA World Cup™.

Soccer Field
Soccer fields for international games are between 110 and 120 yards in length and 70 and 80 yards wide. The goal is 8 feet high by 8 yards wide, the box in front of the goal which is painted on the field is 6 yards by 18 yards.

The Clock
Soccer games last for 90 minutes with 45 minute halves. The referee can add time back at the end of each half to make up for the pauses in play, since the clock does not stop in soccer. This is called stoppage time. The referee indicates how much time gets added, but it’s not exact so this means games can go to 94 or 100 minutes at referee’s discretion.

The Referee
There is only one referee in soccer who has control over the clock with stoppage time, whistles and fouls. In soccer if a player breaks the rules or causes a foul they can be given a yellow card or a red card. A yellow card warns a player for breaking the rules while a red card means you are out of the game for good and can’t sub another player in and have to play a man down, which would be 10 players instead of the normal 11 players. If a player gets 2 yellow cards that is the same as 1 red card, sending them off. The minimum a team can play with is 7 players on the field. If a foul happens in the 18 yard box that is in front of the goal then the referee can award a penalty kick which is 12 yards away from the goalie.

The Positions
There are four positions in soccer being: Goalkeeper, Defender, Midfielder, Forward.
There are also formations in soccer for all the positions so a standard formation would be 4-4-2 this formation only adds up to 10 players because the goalie is 11. The first 4 are the defenders, the next 4 are the midfielders and the 2 are the forwards. 

Goalkeepers are the only ones on the field allowed to use their hands but it has to be between the 18 yard box. Their job is to stop the ball from going into the net.

Defenders are on the side of the field with the goalie. Their job is to stop scoring opportunities from happening and move the ball to the midfielders.

Midfielders are in the middle of the field and are the glue moving the ball from Defenders and Forwards.

Forwards are expected to score goals, formations are designed to get the ball to forwards and give them the best chance to score.

2026 World Cup
Now that we know the basic rules of socceryou can enjoy the 2026 FIFA World Cup™,  enjoy the games Mansfield!