There isn’t one soccer field size, there’s a range. For 11v11, the Laws of the Game allow 100 to 130 yards long by 50 to 100 yards wide (90 to 120 m by 45 to 90 m). The benchmark for big stadiums is 105 × 68 m, about 115 × 74 yards: 7,140 m², or 1.76 acres. A 7v7 youth field is roughly half that, and a futsal court is about 44 × 22 yards.
Soccer field dimensions by format
| Format | Length | Width | Area | Goal size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11v11 (Laws of the Game) | 100 to 130 yd (90 to 120 m) | 50 to 100 yd (45 to 90 m) | 1 to 2.67 acres (4,050 to 10,800 m²) | 8 yd × 8 ft (7.32 × 2.44 m) |
| 11v11 (international matches) | 110 to 120 yd (100 to 110 m) | 70 to 80 yd (64 to 75 m) | 1.58 to 2.04 acres (6,400 to 8,250 m²) | 8 yd × 8 ft |
| Top stadiums (UEFA standard) | about 115 yd (105 m) | about 74 yd (68 m) | 1.76 acres (7,140 m²) | 8 yd × 8 ft |
| 9v9 (US Soccer, U11-U12) | 70 to 80 yd (64 to 73 m) | 45 to 55 yd (41 to 50 m) | 0.65 to 0.91 acre | up to 21 × 7 ft |
| 7v7 (US Soccer, U9-U10) | 55 to 65 yd (50 to 59 m) | 35 to 45 yd (32 to 41 m) | 0.40 to 0.60 acre | up to 18.5 × 6.5 ft |
| 4v4 (US Soccer, U6-U8) | 25 to 35 yd (23 to 32 m) | 15 to 25 yd (14 to 23 m) | 0.08 to 0.18 acre | up to 6 × 4 ft |
| Futsal | 27 to 46 yd (25 to 42 m) | 17 to 27 yd (16 to 25 m) | 0.10 to 0.26 acre (400 to 1,050 m²) | about 10 × 6.5 ft (3 × 2 m) |
| Indoor 5v5 | varies by facility | varies by facility | varies | varies by facility |
Sources: IFAB, Law 1 “The Field of Play”, UEFA Stadium Infrastructure Regulations, Article 5, US Soccer Player Development Initiatives, small-sided standards, Futsal Laws of the Game (FIFA). Areas and conversions are calculated from these dimensions. The IFAB gives yards as rounded equivalents, so 100 yd and 90 m aren’t exactly the same length.
How big is a soccer field? The 11v11 field
Law 1 of the Laws of the Game sets a wide range, so small clubs can play on the field they have:
- length (touchline): 100 yd (90 m) minimum, 130 yd (120 m) maximum;
- width (goal line): 50 yd (45 m) minimum, 100 yd (90 m) maximum;
- the touchlines must always be longer than the goal lines: a soccer field is a rectangle, never a square.
For international matches, the range gets tighter: 110 to 120 yd long (100 to 110 m), 70 to 80 yd wide (64 to 75 m).
And the famous 105 × 68 m? That’s the size UEFA requires for category 3 and 4 stadiums, the ones that host the big European games. For categories 1 and 2, UEFA accepts 100 to 105 m by 64 to 68 m.
Here’s what a 105 × 68 m field (about 115 × 74 yd) comes to:
- area: 7,140 m², about 76,850 square feet, or 1.76 acres;
- perimeter: 346 m, about 378 yards, a decent warm-up lap;
- in tennis courts: a doubles court is 78 × 36 ft, 260.76 m² (court dimensions). So a soccer field is about 27 tennis courts.
Depending on the field, the area more than doubles from one end of the range to the other: 4,050 m² (1 acre) at the smallest allowed size, 90 × 45 m, and 10,800 m² (2.67 acres) at the largest, 120 × 90 m.
Soccer field vs football field
An NFL field is 120 yards long including both end zones (100 yards between the goal lines) and 53⅓ yards wide, about 5,350 m² or 1.32 acres (American football field).
So a big-stadium soccer field (about 115 × 74 yd) is a little shorter than a football field with its end zones, but about 20 yards wider, and a third bigger overall: 1.76 acres against 1.32. That’s why a soccer game on a football stadium field often looks cramped: the sidelines limit the width.
Soccer field markings: penalty box, goal box, center circle
Lines are 5 inches (12 cm) wide at most, and they belong to the area they mark: a ball on the line is still in play. Here are the 11v11 markings, from Law 1:
| Marking | Dimension | What it comes to |
|---|---|---|
| Penalty area (the box) | 18 yd (16.5 m) deep | 44 × 18 yd (40.32 × 16.5 m), 665 m² |
| Goal area (the 6-yard box) | 6 yd (5.5 m) deep | 20 × 6 yd (18.32 × 5.5 m), 101 m² |
| Penalty mark | 12 yd (11 m) from the goal line | centered, facing the goal |
| Penalty arc | 10 yd (9.15 m) radius from the penalty mark | where nobody stands during a penalty kick |
| Center circle | 10 yd (9.15 m) radius | 20 yd (18.3 m) across |
| Corner arc | 1 yd (1 m) radius | at each corner |
| Corner flags | at least 5 ft (1.5 m) tall | required at all four corners |
The penalty area starts 18 yards from each goalpost, which is where its 44-yard width comes from (8 yd of goal + 2 × 18 yd). Same logic for the goal area: 8 yd + 2 × 6 yd = 20 yd.
Why do the metric numbers look so odd (9.15 m, 16.5 m)? Because the Laws of the Game were written in England, in yards: 10 yards, 18 yards and 12 yards. In yards, they’re round numbers.
Soccer goal size
A regulation soccer goal is 8 yards (24 ft) wide between the posts and 8 feet high from the ground to the bottom of the crossbar, or 7.32 × 2.44 m. Posts and crossbar are 5 inches (12 cm) wide at most.
Small-sided games use smaller goals. US Soccer’s maximum sizes:
- 9v9: 21 × 7 ft (18.5 × 6.5 ft recommended, depending on age and ability);
- 7v7: 18.5 × 6.5 ft (12 × 6.5 ft recommended);
- 4v4: 6 × 4 ft, with no goalkeepers;
- futsal: 3 × 2 m, about 10 × 6.5 ft;
- indoor 5v5: no official size, each facility picks its own.
An 11v11 goal gives you 192 square feet to aim at. A futsal goal: about 65. No wonder there are fewer goals indoors.
7v7 and 9v9 soccer field dimensions
For youth soccer, US Soccer’s small-sided standards set the field by format:
- 4v4 (U6 to U8): 25 to 35 yd long, 15 to 25 yd wide;
- 7v7 (U9 and U10): 55 to 65 yd long, 35 to 45 yd wide;
- 9v9 (U11 and U12): 70 to 80 yd long, 45 to 55 yd wide.
Your league or club can pick anything within those ranges, so check its rules before a tournament.
For adults, there’s no national 7v7 or 9v9 standard: your league or facility decides. With friends, you don’t need a tape measure: half of a full-size field works fine for 7v7, and a field marked for youth 9v9 is a good fit if only 18 people show up.
➜ Not sure which format to play? Read How Many Players on a Soccer Team? 5v5, 7v7, 9v9, 11v11
Futsal court dimensions
Futsal has its own Laws of the Game, published by FIFA. The court:
- length: 25 to 42 m, about 82 to 138 ft (38 to 42 m for international matches);
- width: 16 to 25 m, about 52 to 82 ft (20 to 25 m for international matches);
- area: 400 to 1,050 m², and 800 m² for a 40 × 20 m court (about 131 × 66 ft);
- lines 8 cm (about 3 inches) wide.
The markings have nothing in common with 11v11:
- the penalty area is made of two quarter circles with a 6 m (about 20 ft) radius around the posts, joined by a 3.16 m line;
- the penalty mark is 6 m from the goal, and the second penalty mark is 10 m away (it’s used for free kicks after the fifth accumulated foul);
- the center circle has a 3 m radius;
- the corner arcs have a 25 cm radius;
- the goals are 3 × 2 m.
Indoor soccer field dimensions
Indoor 5v5 or 6v6 is the small-sided game you play at an indoor facility: turf, often boards or walls around the field, and the ball stays in play off the walls. There’s no official size: each facility builds its own fields, and some are close to a hockey rink while others are much smaller. Most facilities list their field size on their website, or will tell you if you call.
If you want a benchmark, a futsal court (about 44 × 22 yd for 40 × 20 m) is a good mental picture. An hour of 5v5 in a space that size, with walls, wears you out faster than you’d think.
➜ How much does it cost? Read Soccer Field Rental: Prices for 1 Hour and 90 Minutes
Turf or grass: does it change the dimensions?
No. An artificial turf field follows the same size rules as a natural grass field. The Laws of the Game allow a fully artificial surface if the competition rules permit it, as long as it’s green. Even in UEFA stadiums, the pitch can be natural grass, hybrid grass or fully artificial: the required size stays the same.
What changes is the game: on turf, the ball rolls faster and bounces higher. Wear shoes made for the surface, or your ankles will let you know.
Found your field? Now fill it
The size of the field decides the number of players: 10 for 5v5, 14 for 7v7, 18 for 9v9, 22 for 11v11. The hard part isn’t measuring the field, it’s getting the right number of friends there on game day.
Without an app: set the number of spots in the invite (“10 spots, Tuesday 8pm”), write down replies in order in a pinned message in your group chat, keep a waitlist underneath, and check in the day before.
With Footinho (a free, ad-free app for organizing soccer games with friends, on iPhone, Android or in a browser, run by a nonprofit association):
- you set the number of spots, and the counter (“8/10”) is visible to everyone;
- you share the invite in your WhatsApp group in 2 taps, and everyone answers in one;
- players invited in the app who haven’t answered get a reminder;
- with the waitlist, if someone drops out, the first person on the list takes their spot and gets notified;
- you get an alert the day before if the game isn’t full, and confirmed players get a reminder 4 hours before.
Footinho doesn’t book the field or handle payment: that’s still on you. Create your game →
➜ Read next: How to Organize a Pickup Soccer Game with Friends: 7 Steps
