Soccer Field Size, Layout, and Dimensions (2024)

In this article I will cover everything soccer field related. From the different types of soccer fields, to their size and dimensions, all soccer field questions I’ve researched and answered here.

A regulation soccer field as defined by FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) is between 110 to 120 yards long, and 70 to 80 yards wide. The optimum soccer field size is 360 feet long (120 yards) by 225 feet wide (75 yards), but many professional soccer fields vary in size.

That’s a good example of the dimensions of a professional or competition soccer field. But high school and college level fields are also very common for playing soccer. Let’s dive into the soccer field layout, and the different field types and their dimensions.

What Is The Standard Soccer Field Size

Soccer field size may vary, but must stay within certain parameters to meet the guidelines of different organizations. For example, an international soccer field may be of a different size than a standard soccer field, and have to fit within different regulated dimensions.

Here are some tables that show the regulation soccer field sizes:

All lines must be of the same width, which must be not more than 12 cm (5 ins).

FIFA Laws Of The Game (source)

As you can see the international soccer field dimensions are more strict. This is to keep teams playing on similar sized fields when competing with teams from other countries. A standard soccer field however, has some wiggle room in field size. This opens up options for where a soccer field can be placed, and increases the number of playable fields across the board.

Here’s a cool video showing some common sports arena sizes to give you an idea of how big a soccer field is and where it fits in the world of sports.

Soccer Field Layout

The dimensions of the field overall have requirements, but so do all the markings inside the field of play. The goal box, and penalty box need to be of a certain size as well as the corner kick locations and the center circle.

Let me break down each part of a soccer field, their layout and dimensions, and then we’ll cover what the markings are. Let’s start with the most important area, the goal and penalty box area of the field. View the image below to see where these are on the field.

Goal Box

The goal box will start 6 yards from the ends of both sides of the goal post, and extend 6 yards onto the field. The another marking will connect the ends of those two to create the goal box.

Notice the goal box fits entirely inside the penalty box in the image below.

Penalty Box

The penalty box is drawn similar to the goal box, except using 18 yards as its measurement. 18 yards from either end of the goal post, and 18 yards into the field. Connected with another mark to create the penalty box.

Penalty Kick Mark

The penalty kick mark is placed 12 yards away from the center of the goal. This is where penalty kicks will be made inside the penalty box on the penalty kick mark.

Penalty Arc

The penalty arc is drawn only outside the penalty box with a radius of 10 yards, with the penalty kick mark being it’s center. The reason to have a penalty arc in the first place is to make sure all other players are at least 10 yards away from the penalty kicker.

Those are important field dimension to remember in soccer. The others include the center circle, the corner arc, and the goal dimensions.

Center Circle

The center circle is placed at the center of the field with a radius of 10 yards. The very center of the center circle is the most center location on the entire soccer field. View the image below to see what that looks like.

Corner Arc

The corner arc is where a corner kick will be taken. The corner arc is a 1 yard radius 1/4 circle in each corner of the field. When taking a corner kick, the ball must stay within the corner arc.

Some fields will have a marking 10 yards away from the corner arc to prevent players being closer than 10 yards during a corner kick.

Flag Post

Even the flag posts at each corner of the field have a regulation. The flag posts must not be less that 5 feet tall and be placed at each corner of the field.

Official Soccer Goal Dimensions

The official soccer goal dimensions as regulated by FIFA, is to have a soccer goal 8 yards in width (7.32 meters) and 8 feet in height (2.44 meters) measured from the inside of one post to the inside of the other post, and from the ground to the bottom of the top post.

The goal posts must be white in color and securely anchored to the ground. A white net may be attached only if it does not affect game-play. Most soccer games will use a white net on the soccer field, and some fields require it to play.

What Are The Markings On A Soccer Field?

Now that you now the layout of the field, all the markings will be pretty straightforward. I do want to point out that the goal line is sometimes referred to as the end line and the touch line is often referred to as the side line.

Here is the list of soccer field markings:

• Corner Arc
• Goal Box
• Penalty Box
• Penalty Arc
• Penalty Kick Mark
• Sideline
• End-line
• Halfway Line
• Center Circle

Are All Soccer Fields The Same Size?

No, not all soccer fields are the same size. But all official soccer fields do fit inside an agreed upon set of dimensions. An official FIFA regulation soccer field will be between 100 to 130 yards long, and 50 to 100 yards wide. A typical soccer field is 120 yards long by 75 yards wide.

As you can see there is quite a bit of lee-way in the allowed dimensions of a soccer field. Technically, a perfectly square field 100 yards by 100 yards would fit into these FIFA regulation sizes, but they actually stipulate that the field must not be square. So you will not be able to find a square shaped regulation soccer field.

Although FIFA sets the overall standard for soccer field dimensions, many leagues have their own regulations a soccer field must adhere to. Here’s a quick chart to show you the optimal soccer field sizes for some popular soccer leagues and clubs.

As you can see, most soccer fields will vary in dimension, but be close enough to not affect game-play in a negative way. Aside from professional soccer fields and dimensions, there are youth, high school, and college fields that use their own set of standard soccer field dimensions.

Youth Soccer Field Dimensions

Youth soccer fields can vary in size depending on the age and size of the players. Playing on a large professional sized soccer field is not fun for kids, or local adult pick-up games or leagues. Youth fields range in sizes 15X30 yards to 60X100 yards.

Local groups and teams creating a league will typically play on youth or high school fields to make the games more fun.

The size of field is usually determined by the size of player. For example, if the youth players step size are about half the step size of a full grown adult, they would play on a U-8 field meant for players 50% the size of an adult. A 10 or 12 years old would be about 80%, and would play on a U-12 field.

The step size is important because it determines the length of a step taken to kick a ball. If the little ones are playing a field that is too big for them, they will quickly get bored, or even worse, give up. Here’s a handy chart to quickly tell what field youth should be playing on based off size and age.

High School Soccer Field Dimensions

High school soccer fields are not the same size as professional fields, and will typically fall into the U-14 category sized soccer field. The high school soccer field regulation size is set by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and range from 55 to 80 yards wide and 100 to 120 yards long.

As you can see on the smaller end of those regulation sizes, a high school soccer team could utilize a U-14, 60 by 100 yards youth field. Many smaller high schools will use their towns local youth sized fields to play games and practice on. But a larger high school will typically have their own soccer field of regulation size.

College Soccer Field Dimensions

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sets the standard college level soccer field dimensions at 70 to 75 yards wide and 115 to 120 yards long. These strict soccer field regulations are set to more closely match a professional sized soccer field, and fit with the FIFA regulated sizes.

Everything from the goal size to the diameter of the center circle on a college soccer field is set to match professional league soccer field dimensions.

The optimum size is 75 yards [68.58 m] by 120 yards [109.73 m]. Facilities
in use before 1995 need only to be rectangular the width of which shall not exceed the length. Facilities constructed after 1995 shall be a minimum of 70 yards in width [64.01 m] by 115 yards [105.16 m] in length. (source)

Which Field Is Bigger, Soccer or Football?

A soccer field is larger than a football field because a football field is limited to 53 1/3 yards wide, where a soccer field is typically 75 yards wide and can be up to 100 yards wide in some cases. The overall square footage of a typical professional FIFA soccer field is greater than an NFL regulation football field.

The smallest acceptable FIFA regulations size soccer field is 50 by 100 yards, which translates to about 5000 square yards of playing area. So technically, the smallest soccer field will be smaller than an NFL football field, but those sized fields are very uncommon and not allowed for international matches.

Is An MLS Field Smaller Than FIFA?

No, an MLS field is not smaller than FIFA regulation. A Major League Soccer (MLS) fields dimensions are in the acceptable range of FIFA international standard sizes. FIFA allows for a range of dimensions for a soccer field, and every MLS field fits within those dimensions.

While some FIFA soccer fields may be smaller than an MLS field, the MLS field dimensions are set in accordance with the FIFA international soccer field dimensions standard.

Helpful Links:

• How To Play Soccer Ultimate Guide
• Soccer Positions Guide
• Recommended Soccer Gear
• 26 At Home Soccer Training Drills