Football Terminology in Different Languages
Explore 53 essential football terms in Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Romanian and Galician. Click around the pitch, compare positions and match vocabulary, hear pronunciations and test yourself.
Explore the Football Pitch
Tap any label â or any numbered hotspot on mobile â to reveal the term in seven languages.
Explore a football term
Select a hotspot on the pitch or a term from the gallery to see it side by side in seven Romance languages.
Goalkeeper
Goalkeeper across seven Romance languages
Use the speaker buttons to hear a browser-generated pronunciation when a suitable voice is available.
Explore all 53 football terms
Search by English word or translation. Filter by category, then choose which language appears on every term card.
Compare two football terms
Choose any two terms and compare their names across all seven languages.
Build your matchday vocabulary
Add up to eight useful football terms, choose a language and reveal your own compact matchday word list.
Football language challenge
Can you identify the English football term from its translated name?
All football terminology in one table
Use this crawlable reference to compare all 53 terms across Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Romanian and Galician.
| English | Spanish | French | Italian | Portuguese | Catalan | Romanian | Galician |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Football pitch | campo de fĂștbol | terrain de football | campo da calcio | campo de futebol | camp de futbol | teren de fotbal | campo de fĂștbol |
| Goal | gol | but | gol | golo | gol | gol | gol |
| Penalty area | ĂĄrea penal | surface de rĂ©paration | area di rigore | grande ĂĄrea | Ă rea de penal | careu de pedeapsÄ | ĂĄrea penal |
| Goal area | ĂĄrea de meta | surface de but | area di porta | pequena ĂĄrea | Ă rea de meta | careul mic | ĂĄrea de meta |
| Centre circle | cĂrculo central | rond central | cerchio di centrocampo | cĂrculo central | cercle central | cercul de la centrul terenului | cĂrculo central |
| Halfway line | lĂnea de medio campo | ligne mĂ©diane | linea di metĂ campo | linha do meio-campo | lĂnia de mig camp | linia de mijloc | liña de medio campo |
| Touchline | lĂnea de banda | ligne de touche | linea laterale | linha lateral | lĂnia de banda | linia de margine | liña de banda |
| Goal line | lĂnea de meta | ligne de but | linea di porta | linha de baliza | lĂnia de gol | linia porÈii | liña de meta |
| Corner arc | arco de esquina | arc de cercle de coin | arco d’angolo | arco de canto | arc de cĂłrner | arcul de colÈ | arco de esquina |
| Corner flag | banderĂn de cĂłrner | drapeau de corner | bandierina d’angolo | bandeirola de canto | banderĂ de cĂłrner | steagul de colÈ | bandeirola de cĂłrner |
| Penalty spot | punto de penalti | point de penalty | dischetto del rigore | marca de penĂĄlti | punt de penal | punctul de pedeapsÄ | punto de penalti |
| Centre spot | punto central | point central | punto centrale | marca central | punt central | punctul de centru | punto central |
| Crossbar | larguero | barre transversale | traversa | barra transversal | travesser | barÄ transversalÄ | traveseiro |
| Goalpost | poste | poteau | palo | poste | pal | barÄ | poste |
| Net | red | filet | rete | rede | xarxa | plasÄ | rede |
| Technical area | ĂĄrea tĂ©cnica | zone technique | area tecnica | ĂĄrea tĂ©cnica | Ă rea tĂšcnica | zona tehnicÄ | ĂĄrea tĂ©cnica |
| Substitute bench | banquillo | banc de touche | panchina | banco de suplentes | banqueta | banca de rezerve | banco de suplentes |
| Goalkeeper | portero | gardien de but | portiere | guarda-redes | porter | portar | porteiro |
| Defender | defensa | dĂ©fenseur | difensore | defesa | defensa | fundaÈ | defensa |
| Centre-back | defensa central | dĂ©fenseur central | difensore centrale | defesa-central | defensa central | fundaÈ central | defensa central |
| Full-back | lateral | arriĂšre latĂ©ral | terzino | lateral | lateral | fundaÈ lateral | lateral |
| Midfielder | centrocampista | milieu de terrain | centrocampista | mĂ©dio | migcampista | mijlocaÈ | centrocampista |
| Defensive midfielder | centrocampista defensivo | milieu dĂ©fensif | centrocampista difensivo | mĂ©dio defensivo | migcampista defensiu | mijlocaÈ defensiv | centrocampista defensivo |
| Attacking midfielder | mediapunta | milieu offensif | trequartista | mĂ©dio ofensivo | mitjapunta | mijlocaÈ ofensiv | mediapunta |
| Winger | extremo | ailier | ala | extremo | extrem | extremÄ | extremo |
| Striker | delantero | attaquant | attaccante | avançado | davanter | atacant | dianteiro |
| Centre-forward | delantero centro | avant-centre | centravanti | ponta de lança | davanter centre | atacant central | dianteiro centro |
| Referee | ĂĄrbitro | arbitre | arbitro | ĂĄrbitro | Ă rbitre | arbitru | ĂĄrbitro |
| Assistant referee | ĂĄrbitro asistente | arbitre assistant | assistente arbitrale | ĂĄrbitro assistente | Ă rbitre assistent | arbitru asistent | ĂĄrbitro asistente |
| Substitute | suplente | remplaçant | riserva | suplente | suplent | rezervÄ | suplente |
| Coach | entrenador | entraĂźneur | allenatore | treinador | entrenador | antrenor | adestrador |
| Captain | capitĂĄn | capitaine | capitano | capitĂŁo | capitĂ | cÄpitan | capitĂĄn |
| Pass | pase | passe | passaggio | passe | passada | pasÄ | pase |
| Shot | tiro | tir | tiro | remate | xut | Èut | tiro |
| Tackle | entrada | tacle | contrasto | desarme | entrada | deposedare | entrada |
| Dribble | regate | dribble | dribbling | drible | regat | dribling | regate |
| Header | cabezazo | tĂȘte | colpo di testa | cabeceamento | cop de cap | loviturÄ de cap | cabezada |
| Cross | centro | centre | cross | cruzamento | centrada | centrare | centro |
| Save | parada | arrĂȘt | parata | defesa | aturada | paradÄ | parada |
| Foul | falta | faute | fallo | falta | falta | fault | falta |
| Handball | mano | main | fallo di mano | mĂŁo | mans | henÈ | man |
| Offside | fuera de juego | hors-jeu | fuorigioco | fora de jogo | fora de joc | ofsaid | fĂłra de xogo |
| Free kick | tiro libre | coup franc | calcio di punizione | livre | lliure | loviturÄ liberÄ | libre |
| Penalty kick | penalti | penalty | calcio di rigore | penĂĄlti | penal | loviturÄ de pedeapsÄ | penalti |
| Corner kick | saque de esquina | corner | calcio d’angolo | pontapĂ© de canto | cĂłrner | loviturÄ de colÈ | saque de esquina |
| Throw-in | saque de banda | touche | rimessa laterale | lançamento lateral | servei de banda | aruncare de la margine | saque de banda |
| Goal kick | saque de meta | sortie de but | rinvio dal fondo | pontapĂ© de baliza | servei de porteria | loviturÄ de la poartÄ | saque de meta |
| Kick-off | saque inicial | coup d’envoi | calcio d’inizio | pontapĂ© de saĂda | servei inicial | loviturÄ de Ăźncepere | saque inicial |
| Yellow card | tarjeta amarilla | carton jaune | cartellino giallo | cartĂŁo amarelo | targeta groga | cartonaÈ galben | tarxeta amarela |
| Red card | tarjeta roja | carton rouge | cartellino rosso | cartĂŁo vermelho | targeta vermella | cartonaÈ roÈu | tarxeta vermella |
| Extra time | prĂłrroga | prolongation | tempi supplementari | prolongamento | prĂČrroga | prelungiri | prĂłrroga |
| Football / ball | balĂłn | ballon | pallone | bola | pilota | minge | balĂłn |
| Football boots | botas de fĂștbol | chaussures de football | scarpe da calcio | chuteiras | botes de futbol | ghete de fotbal | botas de fĂștbol |
Football language patterns to notice
Football vocabulary mixes transparent Romance cognates, native compounds and words that travelled internationally with the sport.
Spanish, Italian, Catalan, Romanian and Galician use gol; European Portuguese uses golo, while French keeps but.
Fuera de juego, hors-jeu, fuorigioco, fora de jogo, fora de joc and fĂłra de xogo all express being outside play.
Striker becomes delantero, attaquant, attaccante, avançado, davanter, atacant and dianteiro.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say âfootballâ in these languages?
Spanish: fĂștbol; French: football; Italian: calcio; Portuguese: futebol; Catalan: futbol; Romanian: fotbal; Galician: fĂștbol.
Why does Italian use âcalcioâ instead of a form of football?
Italian uses calcio as the ordinary modern name of the sport. The word literally relates to kicking and has deep roots in Italian sporting vocabulary.
Why are some football terms different between countries?
Football vocabulary developed through a mixture of older native sporting words, translations, borrowing from English and local football culture. Even within the same language, regional alternatives can exist.
Are these the only correct football words?
No. Football terminology can vary by country, federation, commentary style and everyday usage. This page uses common standard forms suitable for broad comparison across the seven languages.