Whether you love playing soccer or just watching games like the World Cup, you'll want to learn some French vocabulary related to soccer.
le football, le foot soccer, football*
la Coupe du monde, le Mondial World Cup
le match game, match
la période half
la mi-temps half time
le temps réglementaire regular time (the standard 90-minute game)
les arrêts de jeu stoppage time
la prolongation overtime
People and Players
une équipe team
les Bleus "the Blues" - French soccer team
un footballeur soccer/football player
un joueur player
un gardien de but, goal goalie
un défenseur defender
un libero sweeper
un ailier winger
un avant, attaquant forward
un buteur striker
un meneur de jeu playmaker
un remplaçant substitute
un entraineur coach
un arbitre referee
un juge/arbitre de touche line judge, assistant referee
Plays and Penalties
une remise en jeu, une touche throw in
une passe pass
un caviar perfect pass
un corner corner kick
un coup franc, coup de pied arrêté free kick
six mètres goal kick
une tête header
un but goal
un but contre son camp own goal
une simulation dive (fake fall)
un penalty penalty kick
le point de penalty penalty spot
le carton jaune yellow card
le carton rouge red card
Equipment
le stade stadium
le terrain de jeu playing field, pitch
le milieu du terrain midfield
le ballon de foot soccer ball, football
le maillot uniform
le protège-tibia shin guard
les crampons cleats
Verbs
amortir to trap, control
bétonner to put up a strong defense
contrôler le ballon to control the ball
déborder to get past an opponent
être hors jeu to be offside
faire du chiqué to (take a) dive
faire une passe to pass (the ball)
faire une tête to head (the ball)
faucher to bring down
marquer (un but) to score (a goal)
mener to lead, be winning
sauver un but/penalty to save a goal/penalty
tirer to shoot, kick
*In the US, "football" refers to football américain. In most of the rest of the world, "football" is what Americans call soccer.
French Vocabulary Related to Soccer and the World Cup
Vocabulaire lié au football et à la Coupe mondiale
By Laura K. Lawless, About.com
Soccer and the World Cup
French Vocabulary
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