Football guides

Short, clear explanations written by the Scorefoot team to help you understand the scores, tables and statistics you follow every day.

How football league tables work

Points, goal difference, tie-breakers, form and the coloured zones: everything you need to read a football league table.

When is a player offside, when is it not an offence, and how VAR checks offside: the offside rule explained with simple examples.

How the UEFA Champions League works since 2024: the 36-team league phase, the knockout play-offs and the road to the final.

Possession, shots on target, expected goals (xG), pass accuracy and player ratings: what football match statistics really tell you.

What 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1 and 3-5-2 mean, the strengths of each formation and how to read a lineup on the pitch.

What HT, FT, AET, PEN, PST, ABD and the other match status abbreviations on live score sites mean.