Outdoor & pub games
Table football
- players
- 2–4
- minutes
- 15
- years
- 6+
In the box
Table football table
Official rules (PDF, federation's site)
Box details
- Origin
- Traditional game, with no specific designer or publisher
- Mechanics
- DexterityReal-TimeTeam-Based
Where to buy it
Near you
In a shop
Within 50 km.
The basics
Get the ball into the opposing goal by working your rods, and reach the agreed number of goals first. The ball is served in the centre and must touch a second player figure before it can be shot, then play goes on with no spinning and no shaking the table; after each goal, the team that conceded serves. Each goal is worth one point, and the game is played to 10 goals in bars, in sets of 5 goals in competition.
Checked against the official rules · October 2026
The rules, step by step
Setup
8 rods, 1 ball, Singles or doubles
- A table football table, eight rods, one ball.
- In singles, each player holds the four rods on their side. In doubles, two players per side: one on the back rods (goalkeeper and defence), the other on the midfield and the forwards.
- A coin toss decides who chooses between the serve and the side of the table.
How to play
Serve in the centre, No spinning, No shaking
- The serve is taken in the centre: the ball is placed in front of the middle figure of the midfield rod. You ask your opponent whether they are ready, then the ball must touch a second figure before it can be shot.
- After each goal, the serve goes to the team that has just conceded. On bar tables, the ball is often fed back in through the side slot.
- Spinning, shooting or passing by turning the rod round, is forbidden: the foul gives the serve to the opponent.
- A ball sent off the table restarts from the defence rod of the team that did not send it off.
- The ball must not be held too long on the same rod: the rules set a possession time of a few seconds.
- No shaking the table, no hand in the playing area during play, no slamming the rods against the sides.
Scoring
1 goal = 1 point, Bounce-out goal counts
- Each goal is worth one point, whichever rod scored it.
- A ball that goes into the goal and bounces back out still counts.
- An own goal counts for the opponent.
- Some bar tables make a goal from the goalkeeper rod count double, or disallow "gamelles" (goals that bounce back out): these are local conventions, to settle before playing.
End of the game
10 goals in bars, Sets of 5 in competition
- In competition, sets are played to 5 goals, and the match goes to the first to win two or three sets, depending on the organiser.
- In bars, the game is usually played to 10 goals, sometimes 5 or 11.
- The whitewash, also called "fanny": in bar rules, losing without scoring a single goal sends you under the table.
Going further
Variants · Frequently asked questions · In the same family
Variants
Game to
10 goals
5 goals
11 goals
choose them when you start a game: the scorer adapts
Frequently asked questions
How do you score?
By sending the ball into the opposing goal with any rod. A goal is worth one point; the game is played in sets of five in competition, often to ten in bars.
Is spinning allowed?
No, the federation rules forbid shooting or passing by spinning the rod. Most bar tables follow the same rule.
What happens when the ball goes off the table?
It is put back into play from the back rods of the team that did not send it off.
Can you score an own goal?
Yes, and it counts: a goal in your own net is awarded to the opponent. Beware of over-enthusiastic clearances.
Who serves after a goal?
The team that has just conceded, from the midfield rod, after asking the opponent whether they are ready.