Foosball or Table Football? Names and Differences
One friend says foosball, another says table football, and in Turkey people say langırt. They all mean the same game: football played with rows of figures on rods. This article collects what the game is called in different places and how the tables differ.
One game, many names
In the United States the game is almost always called foosball, while in the United Kingdom table football is the usual name. In Turkey you will hear langırt in everyday speech and masa futbolu, which simply means table football, in more descriptive writing. All of them describe the same game.
Other languages have a name of their own too. The list below shows the best known.
- Spanish: futbolín
- French: baby-foot
- Italian: calcio balilla
- German: Tischfußball or Kicker
- Portuguese (Brazil): pebolim
- Dutch: tafelvoetbal
Where does the word foosball come from?
It is generally accepted that foosball comes from the German word Fußball, meaning football. The origin of the Turkish word langırt is less clear, with no single accepted account, so this article does not claim one.
Which name you use does not change the game. When you talk to a friend abroad, foosball or table football will do.
How do tables differ?
Real tables vary by make and by country. The build of the rods, the shape of the figures, the weight of the ball, how slippery the surface is and how wide the goal is all differ from table to table. Café tables tend to be built to last, while tournament tables are built to give the ball a consistent response.
Those differences change how the game feels: the same shot can beat the goalkeeper on one table and bounce out on another. In online foosball the table is the same for everyone; the physics settings are fixed, so your timing and control decide the result, not the table.
- Rod build: running right through the table, or telescopic
- The shape of the figures and the weight of the ball
- How slippery the surface is
- The width of the goal and how the walls bounce the ball
Are the rules different?
The basic idea is the same everywhere: two sides, eight rods, one ball. The differences are in the details. Spinning a rod all the way round is banned in tournaments but may be allowed in a café; how long you may hold the ball in one area and how the ball is put into play also vary from place to place.
Foosball Online follows rules close to international tournament play: figures do not spin all the way round, there is a 10-second limit on the midfield rod and 15 seconds elsewhere, and after a goal the ball is served from the midfield of the team that conceded.
Online foosball compared with a real table
On a real table you hold the rod and turn it with your wrist; on screen you use the keyboard, a mouse, a gamepad or touch controls instead. In return you can play someone on the other side of the world at the same table, watch the match again and see your statistics.
Questions about names and differences
Is foosball the same as langırt?
Yes. Foosball is the English name for langırt and is used most in the United States.
What is the difference between table football and foosball?
As a game there is none; both are names for the same tabletop game. Foosball is the American name and table football the British one.
What is foosball called in other countries?
Futbolín in Spain, baby-foot in France, calcio balilla in Italy, Tischfußball or Kicker in Germany and tafelvoetbal in the Netherlands, among others.
Do techniques from a real table work in online foosball?
Most do: timing, trapping the ball and dragging it sideways, and changing the direction of passes and shots. Only spinning the rod all the way round does not exist in online foosball.
Which rules does Foosball Online use?
Rules close to tournament play: no spinning, a limit on how long the ball may be held, and a score limit of 3, 5, 7 or 10 goals (5 by default).
Foosball Online is a real-time multiplayer foosball (table football) game that runs in your browser. No download and no sign-up needed: pick a nickname and you are at the table in seconds.
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