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41 articles, newest first.

2026

Feature Pass Back Rule in Football: When Can the Keeper Pick It Up? Passing to your goalkeeper is legal—but handling it may not be. Learn the back-pass rule, throw-in restriction, exceptions and indirect free-kick penalty. Feature FIFA World Cup Champions List: Every Winner, 1930–2026 Every men’s FIFA World Cup champion and runner-up from 1930 to 2026, with context for Germany’s titles, the missing editions and the 1950 format. Feature Most Assists in a Game: Messi’s Five and the Premier League Record Messi’s five assists set the MLS match record; the Premier League record is four. See what counts as an assist and why the competition matters. Feature EPL Assist Record: Ryan Giggs’ 162 and the Season Record Ryan Giggs holds the EPL career assist record with 162. Bruno Fernandes owns the season record with 21. See the match record and what assists measure. Feature Who Has the Most World Cup Championships? Brazil’s Five Brazil leads the men’s World Cup with five titles; the USA leads the women’s with four. See the winning years and Pelé’s individual record. Feature Top Scorers in Soccer History: Leaders and Counting Rules Ronaldo leads RSSSF’s men’s top-level ranking. Compare the top 10, dated totals, and why Pelé and Bican have different career goal counts. Feature What Does Ball Recovery Time Mean in Soccer? Ball recovery time measures how quickly a team wins possession back. Learn how the average works, what a lower number suggests and when it can mislead. Feature FBref Progressive Passes: Definition and How to Read the Stat FBref’s historical PrgP definition explained: the 10-yard rule, last-six-passes reference, penalty-area exception and defending-40% exclusion. Feature Goals Saved Above Expected: What the Goalkeeper Stat Measures Learn how goals saved above expected measures goalkeeper shot stopping, why post-shot xG matters, and what to check before comparing players. Feature Most Assists in a Premier League Season: Fernandes’ 21 Bruno Fernandes set the Premier League season record with 21 assists in 2025/26. Compare the leaders and learn what an assist total measures. Feature Shots on Target in Soccer: What Counts and What It Tells You Learn what counts as a shot on target in soccer, how posts and blocks are classified, and how to interpret the number alongside total shots and xG. Feature Who Has the Most Assists in Soccer? Messi and the Record Limits Lionel Messi leads reported career assist rankings. See his record milestone, the Premier League and Champions League leaders, and what assists measure. Feature Champions League Top Goal Scorers of All Time: Top 10 Compare UEFA’s all-time Champions League top 10, see why qualifying changes the totals, and separate career goal records from goals-per-appearance rates. Feature Who Has More El Clásico Wins? Barcelona and Real Madrid Are Tied Barcelona and Real Madrid are tied at 106 wins in the usual El Clásico tally. See why La Liga, friendlies and the 1902 match change the answer. Feature All-Time Highest Goal Scorer in La Liga: Lionel Messi See Messi’s La Liga record, the match that put him ahead of Zarra, and why Ronaldo’s higher goals-per-appearance rate answers a different question. Feature All-Time Spanish La Liga Top Scorers: Top 10 See La Liga’s all-time top 10, led by Messi’s 474 goals, plus the 50-goal season record and why some historical totals differ. Feature All-Time Top Scorers in the Premier League: Top 10 Alan Shearer leads with 260 Premier League goals. See the official top 10, the competition cutoff and why goal totals differ from scoring rates. Feature Most Goals in the Soccer World Cup: Records and Leaders Compare Mbappé’s 22 World Cup goals, Marta’s women’s record and Fontaine’s single-tournament mark, with scoring rates and rules on penalties explained. Feature Longest Soccer Game Ever: 203 Minutes or Seven Days? Stockport–Doncaster lasted 203 minutes in 1946. Guinness lists a 168-hour marathon, while Cardiff reported 169. Here’s why the records differ. Feature Oldest Premier League Club: Crystal Palace Or Forest? Compare Crystal Palace’s disputed 1861 foundation with Nottingham Forest’s 1865 origins, and see why club age differs from time spent in the Premier League. Feature Most Tackles in a Game: Soccer Leaders And Record Limits Compare Sørensen and Obbadi’s 16-tackle matches with the Premier League’s 14-tackle leaders, including coverage limits and why tackles differ from possession wins. Feature Libero Rules In Soccer: Movement, Handball And Offside Understand the soccer sweeper’s legal limits, goalkeeper distinctions and effect on the offside line, plus how to interpret a libero’s passing statistics. Feature Dimensions of a Football Pitch in Metres: Sizes and Markings FIFA recommends a 105 × 68 m football pitch, but legal sizes vary. See the official ranges, goal dimensions and key pitch markings in metres. Feature Most Blocks in a Season: Premier League Leaders Explained Compare recent Premier League block leaders, understand Tarkowski’s conflicting 2022/23 totals, and see why raw counts do not identify the best defender. Feature Most Interceptions in a Premier League Season: Kanté’s 156 Kanté made 156 Premier League interceptions in 2015/16. See what the stat counts, his per-90 rate and why the record needs a data-coverage caveat. Feature What Is EPA in Football? Expected Points Added EPA measures how a play changes expected scoring value in American football. In soccer, its meaning depends on the data provider’s methodology. Feature Best Soccer Shooters of All Time: Evidence-Based Shortlist Compare Gerd Müller, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and seven other great scorers by goal rate, elite volume, role and historical data limits. Feature Do Penalties Count as Shots on Goal in Soccer? A penalty counts as a shot on goal when it is scored or saved on target. Misses and shootout kicks do not. See how rebounds and provider rules affect totals. Feature Oldest Major League Soccer Teams: The Eight-Way Tie See why eight clubs tie as the oldest continuously active MLS teams, where San Jose fits, and why NASL history changes the answer—not the MLS record. Feature Oldest Football Player: Why the Record Depends on the Category Ezzeldin Bahader holds Guinness’s male age record. See how Miura, Carol Askew, the World Cup and Champions League use different criteria. Feature Why Is Premier League Added Time Shorter Now? Premier League added time looks shorter as new rules deter delays before they happen. Fewer extra minutes can still mean more football. Feature World Cup 2026 Ball-in-Play Time: What 57:22 Means See why 57:22 is an opening-matchday average, how it compares with 2022 and 2018, and what ball-in-play time does—and does not—measure. Feature How Does the Golden Boot Tiebreaker Work? At the World Cup, tied scorers are separated by assists and then fewer minutes played. Other competitions may share the Golden Boot instead. Feature Serie A All-Time Appearance Leaders: Top 10 Gianluigi Buffon owns Serie A’s recognized appearance record at 657. Compare the top 10, sources, cutoff date and disputed database totals. Feature Build-Out Line in Soccer: How the Youth Rule Works Learn when players must retreat, when they may press, how the line changes offside, and why local build-out rules must be checked before kickoff. Feature What Is a Set Piece in Soccer? Types and Statistics See which corners, free kicks, penalties and throw-ins count as soccer set pieces, plus how providers define phases and calculate conversion rates. Feature 4-2-3-1 Formation in Soccer: Positions, Strengths and Weaknesses A plain-language guide to the 4-2-3-1 soccer formation: positions, the double pivot, attacking patterns, defensive shape, strengths and weaknesses. Feature How Many People Are on the Field in Soccer? A standard soccer match has 22 players on the field—11 per team. Learn how goalkeepers, red cards, substitutions and youth formats affect the count. Feature Serie A All-Time Appearance Leaders: Top 10 Gianluigi Buffon ranks first with 657 league matches, ahead of Paolo Maldini (647) and Francesco Totti (619), in a top 10 reported on 3 August 2023. Feature How Many Points Is a Soccer Goal Worth? A valid goal adds one to the match score; league-table points are separate, and shootout conversions do not change the recorded score. Feature What Possession Stats Actually Tell You Possession percentage is soccer's most quoted and least understood stat. Here's what it actually correlates with, when it lies, and what to read instead.