How to play Table Soccer
- Orange defends the goal at the bottom of the pitch (the left on a wide screen) and shoots upwards. Purple defends the top (or the right).
- Your team. Each player has four rods, like a real table: a goalkeeper, two defenders, five midfielders and three attackers. Your rods sit in between your rival's, so the ball is always near somebody's feet.
- Slide. Point at a spot across the pitch and every one of your rods slides so its nearest player stands there. Follow the ball to block it, or line up a player behind it to shoot.
- Kick. Tap, and all your players swing their feet at once. Any of them who can reach the ball kicks it towards the other goal. Strike it with the side of the foot and it flies off at an angle.
- Your own team gets out of the way. When you kick the ball forwards, your own players lift their feet and let it through. Your rival's players block it, and it bounces off them.
- After each goal the ball rolls in from the side of the halfway line, towards the player who let the goal in. A ball that stops dead is rolled in again. The first player to 5 goals wins.
Controls
| Device | Orange | Purple |
|---|---|---|
| Phone or tablet | Drag in the bottom half to slide, tap to kick | Drag in the top half to slide, tap to kick |
| Mouse (vs computer) | Move the mouse to slide, click to kick | — |
| Keyboard | W A S D, or Space to kick | Arrow keys, or Enter to kick |
On a keyboard, the two direction keys that point along your rods slide them, and the other two kick: A and D slide on an upright pitch, and W and S slide when the pitch is turned sideways on a wide screen. Against the computer you can use either set of keys.
Computer levels
The computer plays like a person: it looks at the ball, judges where it's going, and slides its rods at a limited speed. It only kicks when one of its players can reach the ball, just like you.
| Level | How the computer plays |
|---|---|
| Easy | Slow rods and slow reactions. It often kicks at the wrong moment and rarely aims. |
| Medium | Blocks most slow balls and sometimes aims for the open side of your goal. |
| Hard | Quick and accurate. It reads angled shots and aims past your goalkeeper more often than not. |
| Expert | Reacts in about a seventh of a second, blocks almost everything that comes straight at it and nearly always aims for the gap. |
Tips to win
- Shoot at an angle. A straight shot runs into your rival's players. Line up your player a little to one side of the ball, and the kick sends it diagonally past them.
- Watch the goalkeeper. It can only guard the goal mouth. Aim for the side it isn't on.
- Block first, then kick. When the ball comes at you, line up with it before it arrives. Once it stops at your player's feet, you have time to aim.
- Kick from midfield. Your attackers aren't the only ones who can score. A shot from your midfield flies straight through your own attackers.
- Use the walls. A ball kicked into the side wall bounces back across the pitch, and it's hard to block a ball that changes direction.
About table soccer
Table football was patented in England in the 1920s and spread across Europe, where every country seems to have its own name for it: babyfoot in France, Kicker in Germany, calcio balilla in Italy and futbolín in Spain. In North America it's called foosball, from the German word for football. Tables are found in cafés, youth clubs and offices all over the world. A real table has eight rods, four for each player, and our pitch keeps that layout: a goalkeeper, two defenders, five midfielders and three attackers.
Questions
Can two people play Table Soccer on one phone?
Yes. Choose 2 Players and hold the phone between you, or lay it flat on a table. Each player drags and taps in their own half, and both teams can move at the same time.
Why do all my rods move together?
On a real table you have two hands for four rods. Here one finger moves all four, so every rod slides to put a player where you point. That keeps it simple on a phone, and it means you always have someone in line with the ball.
How long is a game?
A game ends when someone scores 5 goals, which usually takes a few minutes.
Is Table Soccer free?
Yes. It's free in your browser, with no download, no sign-up and no ads during a game.
Updated 7 November 2026