Don’t worry if you’re completely new to the game – even lifelong football fans<\/a> still argue about some of these rules. And you can always continue your football education by visiting one of the many football stadium tours<\/a> available in the UK – from Arsenal<\/a> and Liverpool<\/a>, to Manchester City<\/a>, Chelsea<\/a>, and Wembley<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you’ve got to grips with the basics, there’s no better way to experience football than seeing the culture for yourself by enjoying a visit to one of England’s iconic football stadiums<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Visitors can walk through players\u2019 tunnels, visit dressing rooms, take in the stadium pitch side, and learn about legendary matches and players. Iconic experiences include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n For many travellers, these visits provide a deeper understanding of football culture<\/a> beyond what they see on television. Whether you’re visiting during the World Cup, the Premier League season or another major tournament, football culture is never far away in Britain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At its simplest, football<\/a> is a game between two teams of 11 players<\/strong>. The aim is straightforward: score more goals than the opposition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A standard match lasts 90 minutes, split in to two halves of 45 minutes, with each half being given additional stoppage time when required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The team with the most goals at the end wins. If the scores are level, the match is a draw unless it’s a knockout game that requires a winner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 2026 tournament is the largest World Cup in history, featuring 48 teams<\/strong>, up from 32 in previous editions. The competition now includes 12 groups of four teams<\/strong>, with the top two teams in each group plus the eight best third-placed teams progressing to a new Round of 32. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Because the tournament has expanded to 48 teams, more nations can qualify for the knockout stages. Fans are paying far more attention to third-place finishes than in previous World Cups, as eight third-placed teams now qualify for the knockouts.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The tournament is being co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States<\/strong>, making it the first men’s World Cup to be hosted by three nations. Matches are being played across 16 host cities<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n If there’s one football rule that confuses newcomers, it’s offside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Put simply, a player cannot wait near the opposition’s goal for a pass while all the defenders are behind them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the moment a teammate passes the ball:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2705 The attacker must have at least two opposition players (usually one defender and the goalkeeper) between them and the goal line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u274c If they are beyond those players and become involved in play, they are offside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The purpose of the rule is to stop attackers gaining an unfair advantage by permanently standing near the goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The easiest way to think about it is: You can’t simply wait by the goal for someone to pass you the ball.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n And if it makes you feel better, even experienced supporters regularly disagree about offside decisions – especially when it’s a tense game!<\/p>\n\n\n\n FIFA has introduced an upgraded version of semi-automated offside technology. The system uses cameras, AI tracking and data from the match ball to identify clear offsides more quickly and help assistant referees raise their flags sooner.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n VAR stands for Video Assistant Referee<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Introduced to reduce clear errors, VAR allows match officials to review important moments using video technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n VAR can be used to check goals, penalty decisions, fouls, red card incidents, offside decisions leading to goals and cases of mistaken identity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When a decision is reviewed, you might see the referee pause play before consulting a pitch-side monitor or receiving information from officials watching video replays. You can tell this is about to happen when the referee makes the symbol of a square with two fingers as he blows his whistle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n VAR remains one of football’s most debated topics. Some fans appreciate the added accuracy, while others feel it interrupts the flow of the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The latest World Cup technology combines VAR with advanced offside tracking and AI-generated player models. FIFA hopes this will reduce lengthy delays and make key decisions easier for fans to understand.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n Referees use cards to punish misconduct during matches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A yellow card acts as an official warning to players after showing unsporting behaviour, repeated fouls, delaying the restart of play or dissent towards the referee. However, a player who receives a yellow card can continue playing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A red card means a player is immediately sent off and cannot be replaced, leaving their team with only 10 players for the rest of the match. Reasons might include serious foul play, violent conduct, denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity, offensive or abusive behaviour. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Most importantly: two yellow cards in the same match equal a red card.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A set piece<\/strong> is any situation where play restarts from a dead ball, giving one team a structured attacking opportunity. The most common set pieces are free kicks, corner kicks, penalties and throw-ins. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Because players have time to position themselves before the ball is played, teams often practise set-piece routines on the training ground. You’ll frequently hear commentators talk about a team’s “strength from set pieces” or whether they are “dangerous from corners”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Set pieces can be particularly important in tournament football, where matches are often tight and a single goal can make all the difference. In fact, some of the biggest moments in World Cup and European Championship history have come from corners, free kicks, and penalties rather than open play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not all set pieces are the same. Here’s the difference:<\/p>\n\n\n\n A free kick<\/strong> is awarded after a foul or infringement. Depending on the offence, it may be a direct shot at the goal or an indirect free kick where another player must touch the ball first. Often, you’ll see defenders form a wall to block the attempt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A corner kick<\/strong> is awarded when the defending team touches the ball last before it crosses their own goal line. The attacking side takes the kick from the corner of the pitch, often sending the ball into a crowded penalty area. Corners create some of the game’s most exciting moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A penalty <\/strong>is awarded when a serious foul occurs inside the defending team’s penalty area. The attacking player takes a shot from 12 yards (11 metres) out with only the goalkeeper to beat. Penalties are among the highest-pressure moments in football.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the most common questions from new viewers is: “Why are they still playing if time is up?” The answer is stoppage time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During a match, the clock keeps running while play is stopped for injuries, substitutions, goal celebrations, VAR reviews, time-wasting and, new for the 2026 World Cup, hydration breaks. At the end of each half, the referee adds extra minutes to make up for lost time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You may also hear this called added time or injury time, but remember they all mean the same thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A formation describes how a team is organised on the pitch, with numbers representing players from defence to attack (so, from the goal up to the half-way line). You don’t need to remember every formation, but understanding the numbers makes commentary much easier to follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Examples include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n When defending, teams generally use one of two approaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Man-to-Man Marking involves allocating each defending player a specific attacking opponent to track and follow to intercept them. Zonal Marking assigns players to defend specific areas or ‘zones’, especially during set pieces. Most teams will use a combination of these systems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n These are two terms you’ll hear regularly during tournaments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An own goal occurs when a player accidentally puts the ball into their own team’s net – it still counts as a goal for the opposing side and can be unfortunate, dramatic and occasionally decisive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A clean sheet means a team has not conceded any goals, with goalkeepers and defenders taking particular pride in keeping a clean sheet. To be clear, a team can still win without a clean sheet, but having the other team kept at 0 goals is a particular point of pride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of football’s favourite pieces of tournament jargon, you’ll hear this phrase ‘Group of Death’ during tournaments like the World Cup or European Championship. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A ‘Group of Death’ is an unofficial term used when several strong teams are drawn together in the same group, making the qualifying stages that much more tense with no clear likely winner. This can cause big teams to be eliminated early, each match brings equal significance and qualification no longer seems simple. <\/p>\n\n\n\n These terms are often confused, so it’s helpful to make sure you understand the difference. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Whilst Stoppage Time is added to the end of each half to make up for interruptions, Extra Time is an additional 30 minutes played after a draw in certain knockout matches. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Extra time consists of two periods of 15 minutes and, if the score is still level after extra time, the match may be decided by a penalty shootout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When a knockout match remains tied after extra time, penalties are used to decide a winner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Each team initially takes five penalties, alternating turns to do so. If the score remains level, the shootout continues one kick at a time until one team wins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s one of the most dramatic and nerve-racking experiences in football.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Part of football’s appeal is that not every decision is black and white.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nWhere to Experience Football Culture in England<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n\n\n\nThe Basic Aim of Football<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How is the 2026 World Cup different?<\/strong><\/summary>\n
What Is Offside?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How do officials check for offside at the 2026 World Cup?<\/strong><\/summary>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/evanevanstours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/June-26-football-terminology-SHOES-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhat Is VAR?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Why are the VAR decisions in the 2026 World Cup faster than normal?<\/summary>\n
What’s the difference between a Yellow Card and a Red Card<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Yellow Card<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Red Card<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/evanevanstours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/June-26-football-terminology-REFEREE-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhat Is a Set Piece?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Free Kicks, Corners & Penalties Explained<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/evanevanstours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/June-26-football-terminology-goals-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhat Is Stoppage Time?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Formations Explained Simply<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
Man-to-Man vs Zonal Marking<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/evanevanstours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/June-26-football-terminology-PITCH-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nOwn Goals & Clean Sheets<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What Is a “Group of Death”?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Extra Time vs Stoppage Time<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What Is a Penalty Shootout?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/evanevanstours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/June-26-football-terminology-VAR-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nWhy Football Rules Cause So Much Debate<\/h2>\n\n\n\n