
Explainers
How football works: rules, concepts and history.
Laws of the game


Penalty Shootout Rules: How the Tiebreaker Works Step by Step

Substitutions in football: how the five substitute rule and the three windows work

Yellow Card and Red Card Rules: Bookings, Accumulation, Bans

VAR in football: how video refereeing actually works

Advantage Rule in Football: What It Is and When It Applies

Offside in Football: The Rule Explained Simply and Completely

Corner Kick Rules Explained: What an Olympic Goal Is

Direct vs Indirect Free Kick: The Key Differences Explained

Fair Play in Football: Why the Ball Is Returned After an Injury

Why Football Matches Last 90 Minutes: The Origin of the Clock

Handball rule in football: when it is an offence and when it is not
Domestic leagues

Bundesliga explained: the format and why no German club can be bought

How LaLiga works: format, relegation and European places

How Ligue 1 works: format, tie-breakers and relegation

Promotion and Relegation Explained: How Football's Pyramid Works

Premier League explained: format, points, relegation and Europe

Brasileirão explained: format, relegation and continental spots

Eredivisie explained: how the Dutch top flight works

MLS explained: salary cap, SuperDraft and playoffs guide

Same points, different champion: eight tiebreakers compared

Championship: how English football's second tier works

Primeira Liga explained: how Portugal's top flight works

How Serie A works: format, relegation and European spots
European competitions

Champions League draw explained: how pots and seeding work

Champions League format explained: how the competition works

Europa League and Conference League: how the formats work

UEFA coefficient: how each country's number of places is decided

Champions League knockout: play-off, bracket and away goals

How you get into the Champions League: the two paths explained

Euros explained: the format, the groups and the knockout rounds

Champions League tie-breakers: the order that settles the single table

The Champions League calendar: what happens in each month

Nations League explained: how it works and what it decides

Champions League prize money: what each club earns and how UEFA splits it
Cups & national teams

The international break: why the league stops and clubs must release

Club World Cup: how the 32-team format works and what it pays

Switching national teams: when a player can change country

Copa Libertadores Explained: What It Is and How It Works

How the World Cup Works: Format, Qualifying and Knockouts

Copa América: how it works, who gets in and why the calendar moves

Copa Sudamericana: how it works, who enters and what the winner gets

Copa do Brasil Explained: Format, Rounds and Prize Money
Transfers & money

Release clause explained: how football buyout clauses work

Bosman and the expiring contract: how a player leaves for free

Loan with option to buy: what it really means in the transfer window

Financial Fair Play Explained: How UEFA's Money Rules Work

Footballers' Salaries Explained: How Players Really Get Paid

UEFA squad lists: why a new signing is not allowed to play

Transfer Windows in Football: How the Rules Really Work

SAF in Brazilian football: what it is and how the model works
Tactics & positions

Tiki-Taka Explained: How the Short-Passing Style Works

Catenaccio Explained: The Italian System That Changed Defending

Football positions explained: goalkeeper to the number 10

xG in football: what expected goals are and how they are calculated
Terms, awards & culture

Clean sheet: what it means and why goalkeepers live for it

Boxing Day Football: Why England Plays Over Christmas

Community Shield explained: what super cups are and why they exist

Golden Boot explained: how top scorer awards really work

Preseason football explained: what it is and how the calendar works

Hat-trick, Poker and Football's Most Famous Terms Explained

Ballon d'Or: how football's biggest individual award works

12 facts about the 2026 World Cup you need to know

Derby and Clasico in Football: Meaning and the Biggest Rivalries

Brazil's five stars: the World Cup titles behind the shirt
More guides

World Cup 2030: FIFA chose six countries across three continents

Does the first goal decide the match?

Women's Champions League format explained: 18 clubs, one table

Conference League: nobody enters directly, and a third of the league phase arrived by losing

Brazil's Série B: how promotion works and what the playoff changed

UEFA Super Cup: how the most one-sided match on the calendar became the tightest

Which league has the most cards: 22 competitions ranked by disorder

FIFA Intercontinental Cup: how it works and where the Libertadores champion comes in

The Africa Cup of Nations: how it works, and why the 2025 title ended up at CAS

FA Cup: how the qualifying rounds and the replay rule work

The FIFA ranking: how the points are worked out and what each fixture is worth

What minute do goals go in: football's clock, block by block

FIFA's solidarity mechanism: how the club that trained you gets paid on every transfer

