About this puzzle
Soccer's vocabulary travels with the sport, and much of it arrived from Britain, where the game is simply football. This puzzle collects the terms you'd hear on a youth field or a World Cup broadcast: positions (goalkeeper, defender, midfielder, striker), the gear and people every team needs (ball, cleats, coach, referee), set pieces (penalty kick, corner kick, free kick, throw in), and the cards, calls, and slang that give the game its flavor, like nutmeg, hat trick, and clean sheet.
Youth coaches and PE teachers like it because it doubles as a rules primer; the notes explain offside, extra time, and when a yellow card turns red in plain language. It also suits a World Cup watch party where not everyone grew up with the game. If you came looking for touchdowns and quarterbacks, the American football puzzle is the one you want.
The 32 words in this puzzle
Every word, with a short note. Handy for teaching the vocabulary before or after solving.
In every version (12)
- Ball
- A regulation adult soccer ball is size 5, about 27 to 28 inches around. Younger players usually use smaller size 3 or size 4 balls that are easier to control.
- Cleats
- Cleats are shoes with studs on the bottom that grip the grass so players can stop and turn quickly. In Britain, soccer cleats are called football boots.
- Coach
- The coach, often called the manager at professional clubs, picks the lineup, plans tactics, and decides when to make substitutions during a match.
- Defender
- Defenders protect their own goal. Center backs guard the middle and win headers, while fullbacks patrol the flanks and often push forward to support attacks.
- Dribble
- Dribbling means moving the ball with small touches of the feet while keeping it close. Good dribblers use the inside, outside, and sole of the foot to change direction.
- Goalkeeper
- The goalkeeper is the only player allowed to handle the ball, and only inside their own penalty area. Keepers wear a different color jersey so referees can tell them apart.
- Header
- A header is striking the ball with the forehead to pass, clear, or score. US Soccer guidelines bar heading for players ages ten and under to protect developing brains.
- Midfielder
- Midfielders connect defense and attack, winning the ball back and setting up chances. They often cover more ground during a match than any other position.
- Offside
- An attacker is offside when they're nearer the goal line than both the ball and the second-to-last defender as a teammate passes, then get involved in play. It only applies in the opponent's half.
- Referee
- The referee runs the match and has the final say on fouls and restarts. Two assistant referees with flags along the sidelines help signal offside and when the ball goes out of play.
- Striker
- The striker is the forward stationed closest to the opponent's goal. Their main job is scoring, so they need sharp finishing and quick movement in tight spaces.
- World Cup
- The men's FIFA World Cup was first held in 1930 in Uruguay, and the host nation won. The women's World Cup began in 1991 in China.
Added in Medium and Hard (8)
- Corner Kick
- A corner kick is awarded when the defending team last touches the ball before it crosses its own goal line outside the goal. A goal can be scored directly from one.
- Free Kick
- A free kick restarts play after a foul. A direct free kick can go straight into the goal, an indirect one must touch another player first, and opponents must stand 10 yards away.
- Hat Trick
- A hat trick is three goals by one player in a single game. The term comes from cricket, where a bowler who took three wickets with consecutive balls was rewarded with a hat.
- Penalty Kick
- A penalty kick is taken from a spot 12 yards, or 11 meters, in front of goal, with only the goalkeeper to beat. It is awarded for certain fouls inside the penalty area.
- Pitch
- Pitch is the British word for the playing field. A soccer pitch is much larger than many people expect, often more than 100 yards long.
- Red Card
- A red card sends a player off for the rest of the match, and the team cannot replace them. Referee Ken Aston proposed the card system, inspired by traffic lights, for the 1970 World Cup.
- Throw In
- A throw in restarts play after the ball crosses a sideline. The thrower must use both hands, deliver the ball from behind and over the head, and keep part of each foot on the ground.
- Yellow Card
- A yellow card is a caution for offenses like reckless fouls or delaying the restart. A second yellow in the same match automatically becomes a red card.
Added in Hard (12)
- Assist
- An assist is the pass or touch that sets up a teammate's goal. Along with goals, assists are one of the main stats used to measure attacking players.
- Bicycle Kick
- A bicycle kick is an acrobatic overhead strike made while falling backward with the legs pedaling in the air. Chile and Peru both claim to have invented it.
- Clean Sheet
- A team keeps a clean sheet when it concedes no goals in a match. It is a point of pride for goalkeepers and defenders, and the stat is tracked closely.
- Crossbar
- The crossbar is the top bar of the goal, 8 feet above the ground. A full-size goal is 8 yards wide, so shots that clip the crossbar are just inches from scoring.
- Equalizer
- An equalizer is a goal that ties the score. A late equalizer can turn a likely loss into a draw, which in most leagues earns each team one point.
- Extra Time
- If a knockout match is tied after 90 minutes, it may go to extra time: two 15-minute periods. If still level, a penalty shootout decides the winner.
- Nutmeg
- A nutmeg is passing or dribbling the ball between an opponent's legs and collecting it on the other side. Nobody knows for sure where the slang came from.
- Shin Guard
- Shin guards are required equipment under the Laws of the Game. They protect the lower legs from kicks and must be covered by socks.
- Shootout
- A penalty shootout settles a knockout match still tied after extra time. Each team takes five kicks in turn, and if still level, they keep going one kick each until there is a winner.
- Tackle
- In soccer, a tackle means winning the ball from an opponent with your feet, not bringing the player down. Mistimed tackles are among the most common fouls.
- Volley
- A volley is kicking the ball before it touches the ground. A half volley is struck just as the ball bounces up off the turf.
- Winger
- Wingers play near the sidelines in attack. They use speed to get past defenders and send crosses into the penalty area for teammates to head or shoot.
A few facts to share while you solve
- The word soccer started in England in the late 1800s as slang for association football, the sport governed by the Football Association, which was founded in London in 1863.
- Brazilian legend Pele won men's World Cups in 1958, 1962, and 1970, becoming the first player ever to win three.
- A professional match lasts two 45-minute halves, plus stoppage time that the referee adds for injuries, substitutions, and other delays.
Four versions of this puzzle
Pick a version with the buttons above the grid. Each one has its own grid and answer key, and your progress on each is saved separately in this browser.
| Version | Words | Grid | Directions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy | 12 | 12 × 12 | The 12 most familiar words, reading forward across and down. |
| Medium | 20 | 15 × 15 | Twenty words across, down and diagonally. No backwards words. |
| Hard | 32 | 18 × 18 | Every word, in all eight directions including backwards, with look-alike filler letters. |
| Large print | 12 | 11 × 11 | The 12 most familiar words on a small grid with big letters. No backwards words. |
Hard and large print versions
Hard soccer word search: all 32 words on a 18 × 18 grid, hidden forward, backward, up, down and along both diagonals, with filler letters borrowed from the word list. Print it without the word list for an extra challenge. Play the hard version, or see all hard word searches.
Large print soccer word search: the 12 most familiar words on a 11 × 11 grid, printed with big letters and a big word list, and no backwards words. Play the large print version, or see all large print word searches.
Printing this word search
Press Print / PDF above the puzzle. You get a clean one-page sheet with the title, the grid, a word list with tick boxes, and optional name and date lines. The answer key prints on a second page. Prefer a file? Download it as a PDF or an image to print later or drop into a worksheet. Whatever version is showing on screen is the one that prints, and the large print version prints with bigger letters.
How to play online
- Find a word from the list in the grid. Scanning for its first letter is the quickest way.
- Drag across the word from its first letter to its last. On a phone, you can also tap the first letter, then the last.
- Found words get highlighted and crossed off. Stuck? Hint circles the first letter of a word you haven’t found.
Read the full guide to solving word searches, with tips that make big grids much faster.
Questions and answers
Why do Americans call it soccer instead of football?
Soccer is actually a British word. In 1800s England, the sport was called association football, and students shortened association to soccer. When American football became popular in the United States, soccer stuck as the name for the other game, while most countries kept calling it football.
Is this soccer word search good for a youth team or PE class?
Yes. The words match what kids hear from coaches and referees, and the notes explain tricky rules like offside and throw ins in simple language. Coaches can hand it out at the end of season party, and PE teachers can use it to introduce a soccer unit.
Is there an answer key for this soccer word search?
Yes. Choose Print / PDF above the puzzle and keep “Add an answer key page” ticked. The key prints on its own page, with every word highlighted. While playing online, Show answers outlines any words you haven’t found yet.
Can I print copies for my class or group?
Yes. Every puzzle on BetterWordSearch is free to print for personal, classroom, library and homeschool use. Print as many copies as you need. To change the words or make several different versions of the grid, use the word search maker.
What changes between Easy, Medium, Hard and Large print?
Easy hides the 12 most familiar words, reading left to right and top to bottom. Medium uses 20 words and adds diagonals. Hard hides all 32 words in every direction, including backwards, with look-alike filler letters. Large print uses the same words as Easy on a small grid and prints with big letters.
