Soccer Positions: Every Role on the Field, Explained

Soccer positions on the field: how many there are and where they stand

A team has 11 players. One is the goalkeeper, and the other ten are arranged in lines from your own goal toward the opponent's goal. Most teams use three lines (defense, midfield, attack) and some use four, which is why some formations have three numbers (4-4-2) and others four (4-2-3-1). The numbers count outfield players only and always add up to 10. Read our guide to every formation for the shapes themselves.

So how many positions are in soccer? Eleven spots on the field, but roughly 16 commonly named roles, because the same spot gets a different name depending on the shape. A left-sided player in a back four is a left back; push that player higher in a back three system and the role becomes a left wing-back. A center midfielder sitting in front of the defense becomes a defensive midfielder.

The diagram shows a 4-3-3, one of the most common shapes in youth and adult soccer. Your team attacks to the right in the picture: the goalkeeper is on the left, the back four in front of the keeper, then three midfielders, then three forwards.

• Goalkeeper (1 player): guards the goal and organizes the defense.
• Defenders (usually 3 to 5): stop the opponent scoring and start attacks from the back.
• Midfielders (usually 3 to 5): link defense and attack, win the ball back, control the tempo.
• Forwards (usually 1 to 3): score, create chances and press the opponent's defenders.

All soccer positions chart: names and abbreviations

Lineup cards, coaching apps and match reports use short codes. Here is every common one, with the group it belongs to, the classic shirt number (these differ from country to country) and the job in one line. For the full story behind the numbers, see soccer positions by number.

Soccer positions and roles: what each player does with and without the ball

Every role has two halves. In possession you help your team keep the ball and move it toward goal. Out of possession you help win it back and protect your own goal. Players who only do one half get found out quickly, even in recreational leagues.

Goalkeeper (GK)

With the ball: acts as an extra passer behind the center backs, picks short or long distribution, and restarts quickly after a save when the other team is out of shape. Without it: stops shots, claims crosses, sweeps up through balls behind the back line and talks constantly: "step up", "man on", "keeper's".

Center backs (CB)

With the ball: split wide toward the edges of the penalty area so the keeper and midfielders have angles, then pass into midfield or carry the ball forward when there is space in front. Without it: defend the area in front of goal, win headers, mark or cover the striker, and keep the line level so runners can be caught offside. In a pair, one usually challenges and the other covers about 5 to 8 yards behind.

Full backs (LB, RB)

With the ball: give width on the side, go around the outside of the winger, or step inside into midfield, depending on the coach's plan. Without it: defend the opponent's winger one against one, tuck in toward the center backs when play is over on the opposite flank, and track runners into the box.

Wing-backs (LWB, RWB)

With the ball: act almost as wingers, staying wide and high to stretch the opponent. Without it: sprint back to form a back five. This is one of the most running-heavy jobs in the sport.

Defensive midfielder (CDM or DM)

With the ball: drops alongside or between the central defenders to receive, then switches play or breaks the first line of pressure with a pass. Without it: screens the center backs, blocks passing lanes into the opponent's best creator and fouls tactically when a counterattack is on. Deep playmakers in this spot are called a regista.

Central midfielder (CM)

With the ball: receives on the half-turn, keeps the ball moving and gets into the penalty area late. Without it: presses the opponent's midfielders and recovers to help the defense. The classic two-way version is the box-to-box midfielder.

Attacking midfielder (CAM or AM)

With the ball: finds pockets of space behind the opposing midfield line, plays the final pass, shoots from the edge of the box. Without it: presses the opponent's holding midfielder so their build-up cannot go through the middle.

Wide midfielders (LM, RM)

With the ball: provide width, cross, and combine with their own full back. Without it: drop back level with the central midfielders to make a flat line of four.

Wingers (LW, RW)

With the ball: take on the full back, cross, or cut inside onto the stronger foot to shoot. Without it: press the opponent's full back and block passes down the line.

Strikers and forwards (ST, CF, SS)

With the ball: score, hold the ball up while teammates arrive, and run in behind to push the defense back. Without it: start the press, usually by curving a run so the center back can only pass one way. A striker who drops deep into midfield to create is called a false nine.

Skills every position needs

All players need a good first touch and the habit of checking their shoulder before the ball arrives. Beyond that, each spot leans on a different mix. Use this table to match a player's strengths to a role, or to plan what to practice.

How positions change between formations

The same 11 players can line up in many shapes, and the role names change with them. Here is how the common systems use the positions:

Look at the diagram of the 3-5-2. Compared with the 4-3-3 above, one full back has become a third center back, and the two wide defenders have been pushed up to wing-back. Without the ball those wing-backs sprint back to make a five; with it they become the team's only width. That one change alters what both players need: more stamina, less pure defending.

The lesson for players: learn the job, not just the label. A right back in a 4-4-2 and a right wing-back in a 3-5-2 share a touchline but not a workload.

Positions are zones, not fixed spots

New players often think a position is a cone they must stand next to. In reality it is an area of responsibility that slides with the ball. When your team has possession, the shape stretches long and wide; when you lose it, everyone shrinks back toward the ball and your own goal.

The second diagram shows a typical 4-3-3 with the ball. The holding midfielder drops near the center backs to receive, both full backs push high to give width, and the wingers drift infield into the channels between the opponent's defenders. Nobody left their position. They simply played it the way it is meant to be played in possession.

• Distance between lines: about 10 to 15 yards when defending, so passes cannot be played through you.
• Width with the ball: at least one player on each touchline, so the opponent has to cover the whole field.
• Depth: someone always offers a pass behind the ball and someone always threatens to run beyond it.

How to pick your soccer position

Most players end up in the wrong role because someone guessed based on size or speed when they were eight. Use these steps instead:

1. List what you are good at. Be honest: tackling, passing, dribbling, finishing, running all game, heading, organizing.
2. List what you enjoy. Some players love stopping goals, others only feel alive with the ball at their feet.
3. Match both lists to the skills table above. Pick two roles that fit, ideally next to each other, such as right back and right midfielder.
4. Ask your coach for a run in each. Three or four games per role tells you far more than one half.
5. Watch a full match focused on one player in that role. Ignore the ball for ten minutes and just follow where that player goes.
6. Keep a second position. Squads change, and versatile players get more minutes.

Not sure which roles carry the most weight? Our take on the hardest and most important soccer positions ranks them by what they demand.

Positions for youth teams and smaller formats

Young players do not start with 11 a side. In the United States the ladder runs from small-sided play for the littlest ones to 7v7 for roughly U9 and U10, then 9v9 for roughly U11 and U12, then 11 a side from about U13. These are national guidelines, and each league or club sets its own rules, so check yours.

• Youth soccer positions: what kids should play at each age and why rotating matters.
• 7v7 formations and 9v9 formations: shapes for the middle years.
• 11v11 soccer positions: the full field for players stepping up from 9v9.

Soccer positions guides on this site

Each line of the team has its own deep guide with diagrams, common mistakes and practice ideas. Pick the one you need:

Common mix-ups about positions

Soccer vs American football. Terms like quarterback, linebacker and tight end belong to American football. In soccer the closest equivalents are loose at best: a deep playmaker organizes like a quarterback, and a defensive midfielder protects like a linebacker, but the jobs are different.

Halfback and inside forward. These are old names from soccer's first organized era, when teams used the 2-3-5 pyramid shape. Halfbacks became midfielders and inside forwards became attacking midfielders and second strikers.

"Defender" does not mean "never attack". Modern full backs often provide more crosses than wingers, and center backs score plenty from set pieces.

Stopper and sweeper. A stopper is a center back who steps out to mark the striker tightly; a sweeper stays behind as a spare man. Both are rarer now that most teams defend with a flat back line and the offside trap.