Field goal
A field goal is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. Consequently, a field goal cannot be scored from a punt, as the ball must touch the ground at one point after the snap and before it is kicked in order to be a valid field goal. The entire ball must pass through the vertical plane of the goal, which is the area above the crossbar and between the uprights or, if above the uprights, between their outside edges. American football requires that a field goal must only come during a play from scrimmage while Canadian football retains open field kicks and thus field goals may be scored at any time from anywhere on the field and by any player. The vast majority of field goals, in both codes, are placekicked. Drop-kicked field goals were common in the early days of gridiron football but are almost never attempted in modern times. A field goal may also be scored through a fair catch kick, but this is also extremely rare. In most leagues, a successful field goal awards three points.
Since a field goal is worth only three points, as opposed to a touchdown, which is worth six points, it is usually only attempted in specific situations, such as when the offense has reached its final down but has advanced the ball into field goal range, or when there is not enough time left in the half to score a touchdown.
The goal structure consists of a horizontal crossbar suspended above the ground, with two vertical goalposts apart extending vertically from each end of the crossbar. In American football, the goals are centered on each end line; in Canadian football, they are centered on each goal line. In order for a field goal to be scored, or to be "good", the entire ball must pass through the rectangular plane formed by the bottom horizontal crossbar and two vertical uprights formed by the goalpost. If a field goal fails to pass through this plane, it is "no good" and no score is awarded.
If a team scores a field goal, they kickoff to return possession of the ball to the opposing team. If a field goal attempt is unsuccessful, possession of the ball is turned over to the opposing team where the line of scrimmage of the field goal attempt was in the NCAA, or at the spot of the kick, the spot where the placekicker made contact with the ball, in the NFL.
Strategy
As a field goal is worth only three points, while a touchdown scores at least six, teams will generally attempt a field goal only in the following situations:- It is last down, especially if the offense is more than a yard or two from a new first down, and within kicking range of the goalposts.
- In the first half, if there is only enough time remaining to execute just one more play, regardless of the down.
- In the waning moments of the second half, if a successful kick will win or tie the game. In this situation, a team may choose to attempt the field goal on an earlier down or if there is still enough time remaining to execute more than one play. If there are problems with the snap or hold, the team would be then able to abort the kick attempt, and still have at least one down and time remaining to re-attempt the kick.
- In overtime, if a successful field goal wins and ends the game, a team may choose to attempt a game-winning kick as soon as they get into field goal range. In this situation, a team may just decide to try to end the game rather than risk another play that could result in a turnover.
The longest field goal kick in NFL history is 68 yards, a record set by Cam Little on 2 November 2025, which broke the record previously held by Justin Tucker at 66 yards. Cam Little kicked a 70-yard field goal in a preseason game in 2025. The record in the CFL is 63 yards, set by Sergio Castillo on August 9, 2025, tying a 24-year-old record by Paul McCallum, which was believed for years to have been 62 yards, though evidence confirmed McCallum's kick was actually closer to 63 yards. High school, college and most professional football leagues offer only a three-point field goal; however, some professional leagues have encouraged more rare kicks through four-point field goals. NFL Europe encouraged long field goals of 50 yards or more by making those worth four points instead of three, a rule since adopted by the Stars Football League. Similarly, the sport of arena football sought to repopularize the drop kick by making that worth four points; it failed since only one kicker was able to do it with any semblance of proficiency. In six-man football, all field goals are worth four points instead of the usual three. The overall field goal percentage during the 2010 NFL season was 82.3%. In comparison, Jan Stenerud, one of only three pure kickers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, had a career field goal percentage of 66.8% from 1967 to 1985.
How field goals are kicked
When a team decides to attempt a field goal, it will generally line up in a very tight formation, with all but two players lined up along or near the line of scrimmage: the placekicker and the holder. The holder is usually the team's punter or backup quarterback. Instead of the regular center, a team may have a dedicated long snapper trained especially to snap the ball on placekick attempts and punts.The holder usually lines up seven to eight yards behind the line of scrimmage, with the kicker a few yards behind him. Upon receiving the snap, the holder holds the ball against the ground vertically, with the stitches away from the kicker. The kicker begins his approach during the snap, so the snapper and holder have little margin for error. A split-second mistake can disrupt the entire attempt. Depending on the level of play, the ball, upon reaching the holder, is held up by either the aid of a small rubber "tee" or is placed on the ground.
The measurement of a field goal's distance is from the goalpost to the point where the ball was positioned for the kick by the holder. In American football, where the goalpost is located at the back of the end zone, the ten yards of the end zone are added to the yard line distance at the spot of the hold.
Until the 1960s, placekickers approached the ball straight on, with the toe making first contact with the ball. The technique of kicking the ball "soccer-style", by approaching the ball at an angle and kicking it with the instep, was introduced by Hungarian-born kicker Pete Gogolak in the 1960s. Reflecting his roots in European soccer, Gogolak observed that kicking the ball at an angle could cover more distance than kicking straight-on; he played college football at Cornell and made his pro debut in 1964 with the Buffalo Bills of the AFL; his younger brother Charlie was also an NFL kicker. The soccer-style kick gained popularity and was nearly universal by the late 1970s; the last full-time straight-on kicker in the NFL was Mark Moseley, who retired in 1986.
Successful field goals
If there is any time left in the half, the method of resuming play after a successful field goal varies between leagues.Missed field goals
A missed field goal is said to be "no good" if the kicked ball does not cross between the uprights and over the crossbar of the goal posts. If it misses to the side of the uprights, it may be called "wide left" or "wide right". A field goal attempt may be described as "short" if it does not have sufficient distance to go over the cross bar. Some commentators will only describe a field goal attempt as being short if it appears to have been aimed correctly while others will describe an attempt appearing to lack both accuracy and distance as being both wide and short.If a field goal attempt is missed, and the ball does not go out of bounds and has not been ruled dead by a referee, then a defensive player may advance the ball, as with a punt or kickoff. This type of play usually occurs either during an extremely long field goal attempt or if the attempt is blocked. If there is a significant likelihood of a miss and the strategic game situation warrants it, the defense places a player downfield, in or near their end zone, to catch the ball. The risk in this is that the return man may be tackled deep in his own territory, at a considerably worse position than he could have gotten by letting the ball go dead ; furthermore, should the returner fumble the ball, the kicking team can recover it and gain a new set of downs. Thus, teams will usually return a kick only towards the end of a half or in a particularly desperate situation.
If a ball caroms off one of the goal posts or the crossbar but lands in the field of play, the ball is considered dead and cannot be returned. However, if the ball continues into the goal after caroming, the score counts. If the ball re-enters the field of play after crossing the vertical plane of the goal, the score also counts; this is now known as the "Phil Dawson rule" after the eponymous player scored a game-tying field goal that rebounded off the back support of the goal and back into the field of play.
Situations where the defense does not return a missed field goal vary between leagues and levels of play:
Blocked field goals
Occasionally, the defense will succeed in blocking a field goal. If the ball falls in or behind the neutral zone, it is treated like a fumble and can be advanced by either team. If the ball instead falls forward beyond the neutral zone, it is treated like a missed field goal under the rules explained above.History
In the early days of football, kicking was emphasized. In 1883, the scoring system was devised with field goals counting for five points, touchdowns two points, and conversions four points. In the following year touchdowns doubled in value to four, and rose to five in 1898. Meanwhile, the value of a conversion fell to two points in 1884 and one point in 1898. Field goals were devalued to four points in 1904, and then to the modern three points in 1909. The touchdown was changed to six points in 1912 in American football; the Canadian game followed suit in 1956.The spot of the conversion has also changed through the years. In 1924, NCAA rules spotted the conversion at the 3-yard line, before moving it back to the 5-yard line in 1925. In 1929, the spot was moved up to the 2-yard line, matching the NFL. In 1968, the NCAA diverged from the NFL rules and moved the spot back to the original 3-yard line. Canadian rules originally spotted the conversion at the 5-yard line, which remains closer than in the American code as the goalposts are at the front of the end zone.
In, to make conversion kicks harder, the NFL and CFL moved the line of scrimmage for conversion kicks to the 15- and 25-yard lines, respectively.
The goalposts were originally located on the goal line; this led to many injuries and sometimes interfered with play. The NCAA moved the goal posts to the rear of the end zone in 1927. The NFL followed suit, but moved the posts back to the goal line starting in the 1932 NFL Playoff Game, a change made necessary by the size of the indoor Chicago Stadium and kept when the NFL rules stopped mirroring the NCAA rules in. The NFL kept the goal posts at the goal line until 1974, when they were moved back to the rear of the end zone, where they have remained since. This was partly a result of the narrowed hashmark distance made in, which had made for easier field-goal angles. The Canadian game still has posts on the goal line.
The width of the goalposts and the hashmarks have also varied throughout the years. In 1959, the NCAA goalposts were widened to, the standard width for high school posts today. In 1991, the college goalposts were reduced in width to, matching the NFL. For the 1991 and 1992 seasons, this meant potentially severe angles for short field goal attempts, since the hashmark width remained at. In 1993, the NCAA narrowed the distance between the hashmarks to, matching the width of hashmarks in the NFL from through ; as mentioned above, the NFL narrowed the hashmarks in 1972 to goalpost width at. Canadian hash marks in amateur play are apart, 24 yards from each sideline. The Canadian Football League formerly used this spacing, but narrowed the hash mark spacing to in 2022. The Canadian field is in width, wider than the American field.
The NFL increased the height of the uprights above the crossbar to in and in 1974. In, they were raised five feet to after the adoption of a proposal by New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
The "slingshot" goalpost, having a single post curving 90° up from the ground to support the crossbar, was invented by Jim Trimble and Joel Rottman in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The first ones were built by Alcan and displayed at the Expo 67 world's fair in Montreal. The NFL had standardized its goalposts in 1966 and adopted the slingshot for the season. The NCAA subsequently adopted the same rule, but later allowed the use of "offset" goalposts with the older two-post base. The CFL was the first league to use the slingshot goalposts. They debuted in the 2nd game of the CFL's Eastern Conference final in 1966 at Montreal's Autostade because Landsdowne Park, the home of Ottawa Rough Riders, was undergoing renovations. They were also used in the Grey Cup the next week at Vancouver's Empire Stadium. Three schools in Division I FBS currently use dual-support posts: Florida State, LSU, and Washington State. A special exemption was allowed by the NFL for the New Orleans Saints to use the offset goalposts during the 2005 season, when they used LSU's stadium for home games after Hurricane Katrina.
Goalposts at the professional level today are sometimes equipped with a video camera mounted to the stanchion immediately behind the center of the crossbar. Since these cameras are both above and slightly behind the crossbar, a field goal attempt will be judged good if it strikes this equipment.
A small plastic tee, which can be high, may be used for field goals and extra points in some leagues, including US high schools and Canadian amateur play. The NFL has never allowed the use of tees for field goal kick attempts, having always required kickers to kick off the ground for such attempts. In 1948, the NCAA authorized the use of the small rubberized kicking tee for extra points and field goals, but banned them by 1989, requiring kicks from the ground, as in the NFL. The CFL allows the use of a tee for field goals and convert kicks, but it is optional.
During the NFL season, a record 90 field goals of 50 yards or longer were made. In, this record was raised to 92 field goals of 50 yards or longer.
Longest field goal records
NFL
- 68 yards, Cam Little, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Las Vegas Raiders, November 2, 2025
CFL
- 62 yards, Paul McCallum, Saskatchewan Roughriders vs. Edmonton Eskimos, October 27, 2001
Professional spring football
- 64 yards, Jake Bates, Michigan Panthers vs. St. Louis Battlehawks, United Football League, March 30, 2024
College football
The following kicks were successful with the use of a kicking tee, which was banned by the NCAA after the 1988 season. Additionally, prior to 1991, the goal posts were 23 feet, 4 inches. They were narrowed to 18 feet, 6 inches in 1991.| Division | Distance | Kicker | Team | Opponent | Date | Notes |
| NAIA | 69 yards | Ove Johansson | Abilene Christian | East Texas State | October 16, 1976 | Overall field goal record with the use of a tee |
| Division I FBS | 67 yards | Russell Erxleben | Texas | Rice | 1977 | |
| Division I FBS | 67 yards | Steve Little | Arkansas | Texas | 1977 | |
| Division II | 67 yards | Tom Odle | Fort Hays St | Washburn | November 5, 1988 | |
| Division I FCS | 63 yards | Scott Roper | Arkansas State | North Texas | 1987 | |
| Division III | 62 yards | Dom Antonini | Rowan | Salisbury | September 18, 1976 |
After the 1988 season, the use of a kicking tee was banned. The following kicks were successful without the use of a tee.
| Division | Distance | Kicker | Team | Opponent | Date | Notes |
| Division I FBS | 65 yards | Martin Gramática | Kansas State | Northern Illinois | September 12, 1998 | Overall NCAA field goal record without the use of a tee; also the longest field goal since the NCAA narrowed the goalposts in 1991 |
| Division II | 64 yards | Garrett Lindholm | Tarleton State | Texas A&M–Kingsville | November 14, 2009 | The 64-yard field goal was made as time expired forcing overtime. Tarleton State went on to win the playoff game |
| Division I FCS | 63 yards | Bill Gramática | South Florida | Austin Peay | November 18, 2000 | |
| Division I FBS | 63 yards | Kyle Konrardy | Iowa State | South Dakota | August 30, 2025 | |
| Division III | 62 yards | Matthew Aven | Claremont | Cal Lutheran | October 19, 2013 | |
| NAIA | 62 yards | Derek Doerfler | Baker | William Jewell | October 8, 2007 |
The longest known drop-kicked field goal in college football was a 62-yard kick from Pat O'Dea, an Australian kicker who played for Wisconsin. O'Dea's kick took place in a blizzard against Northwestern on November 15, 1898.
U Sports
The longest field goal in U Sports football history is 59 yards by Niko Difonte of Calgary Dinos playing against the UBC Thunderbirds on November 11, 2017. The field goal was the final and winning play of the 81st Hardy Cup.High school
- 68 yards, Dirk Borgognone, Reno High School vs. Sparks High School, September 27, 1985
Independent amateur
- 68 yards, Fabrizio Scaccia, Treasure Coast Bobcats, March 29, 2009
[Independent Women's Football League]
- 44 yards, Sarah Oliver, California Quake vs. New Mexico Menace, April 26, 2008
Longest missed field goal return records
CFL
Because the goalposts in Canadian football are on the goal line, and because downing the ball in the end zone results in the kicking team scoring a single point, field goal returns are much more common. The longest missed field goal return in the CFL is 131 total yards. Against the Montreal Alouettes on August 22, 1958, the Toronto Argonauts' Boyd Carter ran 15 yards, then threw a lateral to Dave Mann, who then returned it for the final 116 yards. This return, which started 21 yards behind the goal line, was during the era of 25-yard end zones and therefore cannot be met or exceeded on the modern field with 20-yard end zones. Since the shortening of the end zones in the CFL in 1986, a field goal has been returned for the maximum 129 yards on four occasions: by Bashir Levingston of the Toronto Argonauts on June 28, 2007, by Dominique Dorsey also of the Toronto Argonauts on August 2, 2007, by Tristan Jackson of the Saskatchewan Roughriders on July 14, 2012, and by Trent Guy of the Montreal Alouettes on September 23, 2012.NCAA
In NCAA college football, only five missed field goals returns for touchdowns have ever been returned 100 yards or more:- September 17, 1966: Don Guest, 108-yard return for a touchdown after a failed 47-yard field goal attempt by Washington State.
- September 28, 1968: Richie Luzzi, 108-yard return for a touchdown after a failed 47-yard field goal attempt by Georgia.
- September 7, 2013: Odell Beckham Jr., 109-yard return for a touchdown after a failed 59-yard field goal attempt by UAB.
- November 30, 2013: Chris Davis, 109-yard return for a game winning touchdown after a failed 57-yard field goal attempt also for the win by Alabama. This play is also known as "the Kick Six".
- September 3, 2016: Brandon Wilson, 109-yard return for a touchdown after a failed 53-yard field goal attempt by Oklahoma.
U Sports
In U Sports football, like in the CFL, the longest possible missed field goal return is 129 yards, and this has occurred three times.- Jeremy Botelho of the Manitoba Bisons playing against the Simon Fraser Clansmen on September 11, 2009
- Jedd Gardner of the Guelph Gryphons playing against the McMaster Marauders on October 8, 2010
- Tunde Adeleke of the Carleton Ravens playing against the Ottawa Gee-Gees on October 5, 2013