Glossary Archive

The first part of a tournament in which teams play in groups in order to qualify for the knock-out rounds. What does it mean? The group stage takes place at the start of a tournament in order to find out which teams will qualify for the next round. In the...

The country that holds the tournament is known as the host  - to host a tournament. It also sometimes describes the home team (the hosts).  What does it mean? Host has a few different meanings in football. It refers to the team or the country that is holding the game...

The first part of a tournament in which teams play in groups in order to qualify for the knock-out rounds. What does it mean? Find out more Listen to a podcast on the different meanings of qualify

Starting XI (Eleven) is the name given to the team that starts the game against another team.  What does it mean? Most football teams have a squad of about 25 players but only 11 of these can start a game and so the team that a manager picks for a...

This is the city or stadium where a game or a tournament takes place. The venue is where the match is played. What does it mean? The venue is where the game is played - it can mean the city where the tournament is being played or more usually the...