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Football (Soccer) vocabulary · Rules, Fouls & Match Time

Kick-off

Meaning in football (soccer), with examples

/ˈkɪk ɔːf/nounCore term

In football (soccer), kick-off means: The kick from the centre spot that starts each half and restarts play after a goal; also the time a match is due to start.

In Turkish: başlama vuruşu, maç saati

How it is used

Fans ask "What time is kick-off?" and reporters write "kick-off is at 8 pm". The verb is two words: the match kicks off at three. A goal can be scored directly from the kick-off, but it is very rare.

Example sentences

  1. Kick-off has been moved to 7.45 because of the live TV broadcast.

  2. They scored within 30 seconds of kick-off.

Common collocations

  • kick-off time
  • before kick-off
  • delayed kick-off
  • the match kicks off
  • half-timeThe break between the two halves of a match, which must not be longer than 15 minutes, when players rest and coaches give instructions.
  • matchA game of football between two teams, normally made up of two 45-minute halves, with stoppage time added at the end of each half.
  • fixtureA match arranged for a particular date; the fixtures, or the fixture list, are all the matches a team or league has scheduled for the season.
  • stoppage timeMinutes the referee adds at the end of each half to make up for time lost through substitutions, injuries, VAR checks and other delays.

More terms: Rules, Fouls & Match Time

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