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The International Football Association Board has specific guidelines for the field of play in a FIFA regulation match. Here’s the gist:
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The length of the sidelines should be between 100 and 130 yards (300 and 390 ft), with a width between 50 and 100 yards (150 and 300 ft). In international matches, such as today’s World Cup, the length of the pitch should be between 110 and 120 meters (330 and 360 ft), with a width between 70 and 80 meters (210 and 240 ft). The width of each line must be the same and cannot exceed 5 inches.
By comparison, the average NFL football field is 100 meters (300 feet) by 53 1/3 meters wide (about 160 feet). And so, in case there are debates going on in your house right now, a World Cup football pitch is bigger than the Super Bowl field.
According to our friends at The runner’s world, a professional footballer covers an average of 11 km during a match lasting more than 90 minutes. They add that midfielders – in the case of the United States Women’s National Soccer Team: Morgan Brian, Julie Ertz, Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle, Allie Long and Samantha Mewis – can run up to 9.5 miles. (Keep in mind that a half marathon costs 13.2!) That’s way more than the average footballer, according to The runner’s world. They estimate that receivers and cornerbacks average only 1.25 miles, or only half of a 5k run.
After football, field hockey, the average player covering more than 8 km per game. Either way, we’re proud of any athlete at any level to come out and compete!
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