Soccer Goal Size
What is the regulation soccer goal size? Find out more about the standard dimensions of soccer goals, which materials they can be made from, and more.
In soccer, the goal is the focal point of the game. The attacking team scores a point, or a “goal”, by putting the ball into the goal. And as former England striker Michael Owen once put it, “Whichever team scores more goals usually wins”. But what are the typical dimensions of a soccer goal? Soccer’s governing bodies have put regulations in place to standardize the size of soccer goals across the game.
What does a soccer goal look like?
A typical soccer goal is made up of two vertical posts, connected at the top by a third, horizontal, post – the crossbar. The goal is placed in the center of the goal line, which runs the width of the soccer field, equidistant from the corner flags. Goal nets drape behind each soccer goal, to catch the ball when a goal is scored.
IFAB’s laws of the game state that soccer goal posts must be made of wood, metal or any other “approved material”; however, most modern soccer goals are metal. Wooden soccer goals are becoming rarer, as wooden crossbars can start to sag over time. The posts must be square, rectangular, round, or elliptical in shape and pose no danger to players.
What are the dimensions of a soccer goal post?
The standard soccer goal post size is defined by the International Football Association Board. The width of the goal should be 8 yards (7.32 meters), measured from the inside of each post. The height of a soccer goal, i.e., the distance from the underside of the crossbar to the ground, should be 8 feet (2.44 meters). The goal posts and crossbar should have the same width / depth all the way across and should not exceed 5 inches (12 cm). Any official competition must use soccer goals of these dimensions.
What are origins of the goal?
Interestingly, the size of a soccer goal has not changed since the 19th Century. The earliest soccer rules, defined by the English Football Association in 1863 in Cambridge, stated that the distance between the two goal posts should be 8 yards. However, in the early form of the game, soccer goals had no crossbar, meaning goals could be scored at any height (similar to a drop goal in rugby, or a field goal in American Football).
It wasn’t until 1866 that a strip of tape was added to soccer goals, at a height of 8 feet from the ground. This strip of tape was replaced by an actual crossbar in 1883, giving birth to what we know as a typical soccer goal. And modern goal post dimensions still correspond to this catchy size of 8 yards x 8 feet, defined by the English FA way back in the 19th Century.
What happens if a soccer goal breaks?
Most soccer goals are made from robust materials such as aluminum and are anchored firmly to the ground to reduce the possibility of breakage during a game. In fact, all Bundesliga clubs agreed to use aluminum goals after a spectacular incident in 1971. Mönchengladbach striker Herbert Laumen broke the goal post while trying to untangle himself after getting caught in the goal net, causing the game to be abandoned.
More recently, in 2022, an English League Two game between Port Vale and Salford experienced a lengthy delay after a player collided with the goal post, causing the post to bend back on itself. A tractor had to be brought on to the pitch to pull the goal post back into shape before official play could resume.
According to the German Football League Statutes (Article 40), a replacement goal should be available in the stadium. If a broken goal can be successfully repaired or replaced, play is restarted with a drop ball, i.e., the referee releases the ball to the team that last touched the ball. However, if the broken goal cannot be repaired and no replacement is available, the match is abandoned.
