Table football
Tabletop game simulating association football using rod-mounted figures.
Table football, also called foosball or table soccer in North America, is a tabletop game inspired by association football. Players score by moving a ball into the opponent’s goal using rods that hold small figures shaped like football players. While casual rules vary by country and region, competitive play follows a single, unified code.
The earliest patents for similar games appeared in Germany and France in the 1890s. In 1921, Harold Searles Thornton patented a version in the United Kingdom, calling it an “Apparatus for playing a game of table football.” He got the idea from a box of matches. In 1979, a Belgian magazine claimed that French inventor Lucien Rosengart created the game in the 1930s to entertain his grandchildren during winter, naming it *babyfoot*. Around the same time, Galician inventor Alejandro Finisterre patented his own version, *futbolín*, in Madrid in 1937. His design is the basis for modern tables. The game reached the United States in the 1950s thanks to Lawrence Patterson, and it peaked in popularity there during the 1970s, often found in bars and pool halls. The name “foosball” came from German imports labeled *tischfußball*. In 2002, the International Table Soccer Federation (ITSF) was founded in France to promote the game, regulate international competitions, and seek recognition from the International Olympic Committee and the General Association of International Sport Federations.
A typical adult table is about 150 cm long and 90 cm wide, with smaller tables for children. It has eight rows of figures—made of plastic, metal, wood, or carbon fiber—mounted on metal bars. Each team of one or two players controls four rows: goalkeeper, defenders, midfielders, and strikers. Players spin or push the rods to hold, pass, or kick the ball. The game starts when the ball is served through a side hole or placed by hand at a center figure’s feet. A coin toss decides who serves first. If the ball goes out or stops out of reach (a “dead ball”), the team that last scored gets the serve. In competition, expert players can move the ball at speeds up to 56 km/h.
Spinning the bar a full 360 degrees before or after hitting the ball is forbidden, except if the spin sends the ball into the spinner’s own goal, which counts as an own goal. A rod spun by the ball’s impact is allowed. The winner is the first to score a set number of goals—usually five, ten, or eleven in competition. In Bonzini tournaments, the target is seven, and a two-goal lead is required. The standard ITSF table layout, from left to right on one side, is: goalkeeper, defenders, midfielders, strikers. Variations exist, especially in Spain and South America, where the *futbolín* model uses a different setup. Singles involves two players; doubles has teams of two, with one player handling the defensive rows and the other the midfield and attack. Informal matches sometimes use three or four players per side.
Major federations include the International Table Soccer Federation (ITSF), International Foosball Promotions (IFP), Valley International Foosball Association (VIFA), and International Sports Table Football (FISTF). While the game is often played casually in pubs, bars, schools, and clubs, official competitions follow strict rules. The ITSF organizes annual World Championships and the World Cup, which originally matched the FIFA World Cup schedule but became annual in 2009. In 2013, nearly 500 players from 30 countries competed in Nantes, France. The ITSF World Tour has expanded into Asia, with tournaments in China, Taiwan, and Malaysia in 2013, and the Manila Bay Open in the Philippines in 2016.
As of 2019, five table brands were officially recognized by the ITSF: Bonzini, Roberto Sport, Garlando, Tornado, and Leonhart.
- first_patent
- 1890s (Germany and France)
- french_inventor_claimed
- Lucien Rosengart (1930s)
- introduced_to_us
- 1950s (Lawrence Patterson)
- peak_us_popularity
- 1970s
Quick Facts
- Union
- International Table Soccer Federation
- Nickname
- Table soccer, foosball, kicker, babyfoot
- First
- 1921
- Firstlabel
- Invented
- Team
- Single opponents, doubles, or teams of up to 4
- Mgender
- Yes
- Category
- Table
- Equipment
- Football table
- Olympic
- No
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Table football, also called foosball or table soccer in North America, is a tabletop game based on association football. The playing surface is typically 150 centimetres long and 90 centimetres wide for adult tables, with smaller versions built for children. The table contains eight rows of horizontal metal rods, each mounted with plastic, metal, wooden, or carbon-fibre figures representing players. Each team of one or two human players controls four rows: one each for the goalkeeper, defenders, midfielders, and strikers. Players manipulate the rods to hold up, pass, or kick the ball into the opponent’s goal. Games begin when the ball is served through a side hole or placed by hand at a central figure’s feet; a coin toss usually decides which team serves first. If the ball leaves the table or becomes stuck out of reach—a situation called a dead ball—the team that last scored gets the next serve. Expert players can move the ball at speeds up to 56 kilometres per hour in competition. The rules forbid spinning the rods a full 360 degrees before or after hitting the ball, though a spin caused by the ball striking a figure is allowed. A spin that knocks the ball backward into the player’s own goal counts as an own goal. The winner is the first team to reach a predetermined number of goals, typically five, ten, or eleven in competition; in Bonzini competitions, the target is seven goals with a two-goal winning margin. The game can be played by two individuals or four people in doubles, where one player controls the defensive rows and the other handles midfield and attack. Informal matches sometimes involve three or four players per side.
Reader's Guide
Table football, known as foosball in North America, is a tabletop game based on association football where players manipulate rods with attached figures to strike a ball into the opponent’s goal. While casual play often has regionally varying rules, competitive play follows a unified code established by the International Table Soccer Federation (ITSF), founded in 2002 to promote the game and regulate international competitions. The game’s objective is to move the ball using figures mounted on rotating bars; expert players can strike the ball at speeds up to 56 km/h in competition. A standard adult table measures 150 cm long and 90 cm wide, with eight rows of figures—plastic, metal, wood, or carbon-fibre—on metal bars. Each team controls four rows: goalkeeper, defenders, midfielders, and strikers. The rules forbid spinning the bar a full 360 degrees before or after hitting the ball, though a spin caused by the ball’s force is allowed. A coin toss determines the first serve; after a goal, the scoring team serves next. The game ends when one team reaches a set number of goals, typically five, ten, or eleven in competition, or seven in Bonzini tournaments with a two-goal winning margin. Table football is played in singles or doubles, where partners control defensive and offensive rows. The game originated from patents in Germany and France as early as the 1890s, with Harold Searles Thornton patenting a key version in the UK in 1921, inspired by a matchbox. Lucien Rosengart invented a version called babyfoot in 1930s France for his grandchildren, while Alejandro Finisterre patented the modern futbolín in Spain in 1937. Lawrence Patterson brought the game to the United States in the 1950s, where it peaked in popularity during the 1970s in bars and pool halls, gaining the name foosball from German imports. The ITSF now organizes annual World Championships and World Cup events, with hundreds of players from dozens of countries competing.
Did You Know?
- Expert players can move the ball at speeds up to 56 km/h (35 mph) in competition.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is table football and how do you actually play it?
Table football (called foosball or table soccer in North America) is a tabletop game where you grip and slide rods fitted with miniature player figures to strike a small ball toward the opponent's goal. It's essentially a hands-on, miniature simulation of association football played on a compact table.
How did table football become a thing in the United States?
Lawrence Patterson is credited with bringing the game to the US in the 1950s, and it rapidly took hold in bars, school gyms, and family living rooms. That mid-century surge is what cemented foosball as a fixture of American casual and competitive play.
What exactly is the objective and how do you win a match?
Your goal is to use your rod-mounted figures to pass, shoot, and ultimately score the ball into the opponent's end while defending your own net. The player or team with the higher goal count when the match concludes is declared the winner.
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