Explainers

How football works: rules, concepts and history.

Explainers·38h ago

Derby and Clasico in Football: Meaning and the Biggest Rivalries

A derby is about geography, a clasico about prestige. Where both words come from, how they really differ and which rivalries define world football.

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

Football is played in two halves of 45 minutes because of a Victorian compromise. Here is how Law 7 works, why the clock never stops and what added time really means.

Explainers·39h ago

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

Clean sheet explained: what it means, how it is credited to a goalkeeper, when it does not count and why keepers treasure it above every save.

Explainers·39h ago

Champions League draw explained: how pots and seeding work

A clear guide to the Champions League draw: how UEFA builds the four pots, why the club coefficient decides seeding, and which rules limit who can face whom.

Explainers·39h ago

Golden Boot explained: how top scorer awards really work

From the World Cup Golden Boot to the European Golden Shoe and the Pichichi, a clear guide to who wins top scorer prizes and how ties are settled.

Explainers·39h ago

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

Kicking the ball out for an injured opponent and throwing it back is football's most famous unwritten rule. Here is how it works and why it exists.

Explainers·39h ago

Copa do Brasil Explained: Format, Rounds and Prize Money

How Brazil's national knockout cup works: who qualifies, how the rounds are drawn, why the prize money matters and what the winner actually gets.

Explainers·39h ago

Europa League and Conference League: how the formats work

A guide to UEFA's second and third competitions: league phase, knockout play-off, qualification routes and what each trophy is actually worth.

Explainers·39h ago

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

The advantage lets a referee wave play on after a foul. Here is how the decision works, the few seconds that matter, and why cards still follow.

Explainers·41h ago

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

From hat-trick to poker, brace to clean sheet: what football's best-known scoring terms really mean, where they came from and why usage differs by country.

Explainers·41h ago

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

Five stars, five World Cups: 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002. How the tradition works, what it excludes and why Brazil wears more than anyone.

Explainers·41h ago

Boxing Day Football: Why England Plays Over Christmas

Boxing Day is 26 December and English football's most cherished ritual. Here is how the festive fixture programme works, where it came from and why it survives.

Explainers·41h ago