Position guide
Football positions explained
Football positions explained, including goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, attackers and how players fit together in a team shape.
Positions
Football positions
Learn where each position sits, what players in each position actually do, and how the roles fit together. This section explains positions in plain English, from the goalkeeper out to the front line.
What you will find in this section
This section explains how a football team is set up on the pitch and what each player does.
Football is played by eleven players a side. One is the goalkeeper, the other ten are outfield players grouped into defence, midfield and attack. Inside each of those areas there are a number of more specific positions, and modern football has added a handful of hybrid positions that blur the lines between them.
The pages here cover the traditional positions and the standard jobs played in each one, as well as common modern variations. A position is where a player broadly starts on the pitch; a tactical role is the specific job they perform inside a system. Detailed role guides — what a deep-lying playmaker does in possession, for example — are explained in the tactics section.
Start with the core positions
These are the best pages to read first to understand how a football team is organised.
Detailed position guides
Once the broad areas make sense, use these guides to look more closely at the specific positions within each line of the team.
How a team is organised
A football team is usually described in three areas plus the goalkeeper, with players in each area sharing similar responsibilities.
Goalkeeper
The only player allowed to use their hands inside the penalty area, and the last line of defence.
Defenders
Centre backs and full backs who stop the opposition from scoring and start attacks from the back.
Midfielders
The players who link defence to attack, control possession, and usually cover large distances.
Attackers
The forwards and wingers whose main job is to score and create goals.
Modern hybrid roles
Inverted full backs, false nines and other roles that move between areas during a match.
Shirt numbers
The traditional link between shirt numbers and positions, and how that link has changed over time.
Where to go next
Once you know the positions, the next step is to look at how teams arrange them into formations and tactical systems.