British Foosball Association

How To Play Table Football

Rules of the game

Historically, there has been no single, internationally recogised set of rules, with rules tending to develop independently by table class.

There has been a convergence over recent years, as the various associations have aligned themselves with some generally accepted cross-table standards.

Since the start of 2007 ITSF (International Table Soccer Federation) rules must be used at all ITSF-recognised events. These rules have also been adopted for official BFA ranking tournaments.

However, the ITSF rules are not universal, and they are very complex, so we have also provided some casual play rules as well as full tournament-spec rules.

Generic pub/bar rules

For use on all table types, incorporating the key aspects of tournament rules without the full detail.

Match formats vary from venue to venue, but in general games are played upto 5 goals, or alternatively out of 9-11 balls (depending on no. in the table).

• Foosball Rules - generic "pub" rules for use on all tables, providing a gentle introduction to the key themes of tournament play. Section includes a convenient "Illustrated printout" in A4 format.

Full tournament rules

For use at ITSF/BFA ranking tournaments.

• ITSF Official Rules - local copy (last updated Jan 15th 2007).
• home of the ITSF rules - It is advisable to check here for the latest full version of the rules.

Rules Archive

Listed below are some historic rules information. Those included are generally historically popular rules sets, which still have some following.

Please note these rules are not endorsed, nor recommended by the BFA, but are provided solely for information.

• AFBF Bonzini rules in French/Translated - also see BonziniUSA Rules
• Tornado Rules - full Tornado rules from 2003.
• Abbreviated Tornado Rules - for use specifically on Tornado tables pre-2007
• P4P Rules 1999, Rule QnA's and P4P Website

See also...

Also see the Running Events section of the website for ideas on event formats and other useful resources.