Foosball Rules and How to Play

The table and the rods

Each team has four rods, eight on the table in all. From your own goal towards the other one they run: goalkeeper, defence, the other team's attack, midfield, the other team's midfield, attack, the other team's defence and the other team's goalkeeper. Each team has 11 figures.

• Goalkeeper: 1 figure
• Defence: 2 figures
• Midfield: 5 figures
• Attack: 3 figures

Objective and scoring

A team scores when the ball goes into the other goal, and the first team to the score limit wins. In Foosball Online the limit is 3, 5, 7 or 10 goals (5 by default) and the clock 3, 5, 6 or 10 minutes, or unlimited. If the scores are level when time runs out, overtime is played; with golden goal on, the first goal wins.

A goal counts from any figure, the goalkeeper included. The ball has to cross the goal line completely.

Kick-off and the serve

At the start and after every goal the ball sits still in the midfield of the team that conceded, and play starts after a short countdown. A ball that stops where nobody can reach it for three seconds is served again.

How long you may hold the ball

As in international tournament rules, an area may not keep the ball for ever: at most 10 seconds on the five-man midfield rod and 15 seconds everywhere else (the goalkeeper and the two-man defence count as one area). When time runs out, the other team serves from its midfield. The last five seconds are shown on the scoreboard.

Spinning

Tournament rules forbid spinning a rod round like a top. In Foosball Online the figures do not turn full circle either: the power of a shot comes from pulling the figure back and swinging it forward.

Shooting technique

For a hard shot, pull the figure back first (S), then swing it forward fast (W). With the ball close to the foot, a light touch is a short pass; holding Shift makes the figures move slowly and precisely. Sliding the rod while you shoot sends the ball at an angle (pull and push shots). You can trap the ball under a figure, drag it sideways and release it at the right moment.

Online foosball controls

On the keyboard, A/D or ←/→ slides the rod, W/S or ↑/↓ swings the figures, Q/E switches rods, keys 1–4 pick the goalkeeper, defence, midfield and attack, and Shift gives precision. Rod selection can be automatic: the rod nearest the ball is the active one.

On a phone, push the analog stick sideways to slide, up to shoot and down to wind up; the Shoot button fires at full power. A two-pad layout is there for players who like both thumbs on the table. Mouse and gamepad work too, and every key can be changed in the settings.

Team play: 2v2, 3v3 and 4v4

In a team of two, one player has the goalkeeper and defence, the other the midfield and attack. In a team of four everyone has one rod. The room's host can share the rods out differently.

Ranked matches and seasons

Ranked 1v1 and 2v2 matches are all played to the same rules, and ratings use the Glicko-2 system. Seasons follow the calendar month, and players with at least 5 ranked matches in a season make its leaderboard.

Questions about the rules