A goal kick can take place many times during a football game. You should be familiar with the term if you regularly follow any football leagues or simply watch a match. Understanding why a team receives a goal kick and knowing what's involved is crucial to appreciate this element of the match. However, what does it actually mean when people talk about a goal kick?
What is a Goal Kick?
A goal kick occurs in a football match after the attacking team kicks the ball across the other side of the goal line but doesn't end up in a goal. Whether the ball is on the ground, in the air, came off the post, or close to the corner flag, a goal kick will be awarded if the attacking team is the last one to touch it.
In most cases, a goal kick is a resume of play by the goalkeeper of the team that was defending. Specific conditions apply to goal kicks, such as the ball being stationary and the opponents having to be outside the penalty box until the kick is taken.
Goal Kick Rules
For the official rules of goal kicks in football, you can head to the International Football Association, where you can find a section dedicated to goal kick rules. But to save you time by avoiding reading the intricate details, we've summarized the essential rules into 8 main points below:
- A player from the attacking team has to be the one to touch the ball last
- A player must take the kick inside the goal area
- The opposition players must be outside the penalty area until the player kicks the ball
- The goalkeeper can score from a goal kick
- The player can't score their own goal from a goal kick
- Any player can take a goal kick
- The kicker can't touch the ball a second time after they kick it
Has a goalkeeper ever scored from a goal kick?
Yes, goalkeepers can in fact score directly from a goal kick. It's rare, but it does happen.
It happened back in 2023, when Argentine goalkeeper Leandro Requena scored from a goal kick for Cobresal in their 3-1 win over Colo-Colo in Chile's top league. The distance of Requena's goal was reportedly 101 metres, which would be the longest goal in a competitive football match.
However, Guinness World Records still has the record for the longest goal at 96.01 metres, which was set by Tom King in 2021 in England's fourth tier league.
How to Bet on Goal Kicks?
You can find plenty of interesting facts, stats and figures on the world of sports. It's no surprise that the sports betting space is filled with betting markets where you can put your own findings and theories to test out.
For goals kicks, we generally consider them to be harder to predict compared to goals scored, moneyline, and yellow cards. However, if you're interested in trying out your luck on a specific market, try looking through the goal kick market, as you might find some incredible odds to try out.
There are two main ways to place your bet on the goal kick market. First, your chosen bookie will offer several total goal kicks ranges. This includes 0-5, 5-10, etc. The total number of goal kicks taken throughout the game needs to fall into the range you've chosen to win a bet successfully.
For example, if the match had a total of four goals taken throughout the chosen match-up and you've placed a bet on 0-5, then your bet is considered successful. Note that some bookies offer you the opportunity to bet on home, away or combined goal kicks.
Indeed, just like any kind of sports betting, there are pros and cons for each of them. The primary downside of betting in these kinds of markets is that they are usually harder to predict accurately. Even if you've studied the team and their form, and the fact that they will likely attack more often, for example, won't confirm that they will have more goal kicks within the match.
What is the Difference Between a Goal Kick and a Corner Kick?
Goal kicks and corner kicks are similar in that they are both awarded when the ball goes out of play on the goal line. But the difference between the two is that if the offensive team puts it out of play, it's a goal kick, and if the defensive team puts it out, it's a corner kick. Still not clear? Let's break it down further.
There are three differences between a goal kick and a corner kick:
- The place of the player who takes the kick
- The team that kicks the ball
- The team that touched the ball last before it went out of the field
Goal kicks are made from the goal area by the defending team. This is not the case for corner kicks, as the attacking team takes them from the corner area. You can also check our related betting strategies like corner betting guidelines, or bet on a goal-based market to learn more.
The referee will offer the defending team a goal kick when the ball rolls out of the goal line and out of play, and the last player who touches the ball is from the attacking team.
The referee offers a corner kick to the attacking team if the ball goes out of play and across the goal line, with a player from the defending team as the last player to touch the ball.
