Short, illustrated explainers on how football works — the pitch and its lines, the laws of the game, positions and formations, and the wider world of teams, stadiums and the World Cup. Everything is drawn rather than photographed, so the diagrams point at exactly what they mean. Read up here, then go and test yourself.
One explainer for each Football IQ subject — plain words, clear diagrams, no jargon to learn by heart.
A tour of every line on a football pitch — what each one is for and where it sits — with a diagram that lights up each marking in turn.
Quiz: The fieldHow football actually worksHow you score, what offside really means, fouls and cards, and the restarts — the handful of laws you need to follow any match.
Quiz: RulesWho plays where, and whyWhat each position does — goalkeeper, defenders, midfielders, forwards — and how a team's numbers make a shape like 4-4-2 or 4-3-3.
Quiz: PositionsClubs, countries and competitionsClubs and national teams, leagues and knockout cups, promotion and relegation — how the wider football world is organised.
Quiz: TeamsWhere the game is playedWhy a home ground matters, what a stadium's numbers mean, and a few of the most famous grounds in the world.
Quiz: StadiumsFIFA and the World CupWhat the World Cup is, how often it happens, who runs it, and a few facts every football fan knows by heart.
Quiz: World Cup