How to sound like you know soccer during the World Cup

The FIFA World Cup is coming to North America – meaning even non-fans may soon hear terms like offside, stoppage time and “parking the bus.” 

Canada is co-hosting the 2026 tournament with the United States and Mexico. Vancouver will host seven matches at B.C. Place, while Toronto will host six.

It is being billed as the biggest tournament in FIFA history, with 48 countries playing 104 matches across 16 cities over 39 days. In other words: soccer will be hard to avoid.

So, for those unfamiliar with the beautiful game, here is a guide to understanding the basics and sounding like you belong at a World Cup watch party.

WATCH | How to sound like you know soccer:

Learning soccer basics ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026

The World Cup is coming to Vancouver, but for those who don’t follow the sport, here’s a brief explainer on some talking points in the game.

Explaining the basics

Why do players fall over so much?

Sometimes, because they have actually been fouled.

Soccer can be a fast and physical sport, which means players get knocked over a lot. Under the rules of the game, players can be penalized for careless or reckless challenges, including trips, pushes and tackles.

But there is also a tactical side. A player may exaggerate a foul or fake contact to win a free kick or slow the game down. That is known as simulation, and it can be punished with a yellow card if the referee decides a player tried to deceive them.

What is VAR?

VAR stands for video assistant referee. It is meant to help officials review major decisions, including goals, penalties, and red cards. In simple terms, it allows the referee to pause the game and take a second look at some of the biggest moments in the match.

VAR has sometimes been criticized for causing confusion, especially when reviews take several minutes or hinge on tight offside calls.

How long does a soccer game last?

A soccer match is made up of two 45-minute halves for a total of 90 minutes. Simple. Except, not quite.

Unlike hockey, the clock doesn’t stop every time there is an injury, goal celebration or other delay. Instead, the referee adds time at the end of each half to make up for those delays. 

So when the clock hits 90 minutes, the game is not necessarily over. It ends when the referee says it ends.

Stoppage time versus extra time

Speaking of time, let’s make two distinctions:

• Stoppage time is added to the end of each half to make up for delays during normal play. That can mean a few extra minutes, or sometimes much more.
• Extra time happens in knockout matches when the game is tied after 90 minutes and there needs to be a winner. Extra time is made up of two additional 15-minute periods.

What is offside?

The offside rule is meant to stop attacking players from camping near the opponent’s goal waiting for an easy pass.

When a teammate plays the ball, an attacking player cannot already be beyond both the ball and the second-last opponent, and then get involved in the play. 

To help visualize this, think of the opposing players as a moving line: you can run beyond that line after the pass is made, but if you are already beyond it when the ball is played, you may be offside.

Phrases to say during a match

Once you understand the basics, the next step is learning some of the language.

There are many different phrases fans and commentators use. Here are a few to try at a watch party:

• “Parking the bus” – Say this when one team has almost everyone sitting back to defend in its own half.
• “End-to-end stuff” – Say this during a fast-paced match with chances at both ends of the pitch.
• “Ref?” – Say this loudly when you think the referee made a poor decision or failed to recognize a foul.
• “In his pocket” – Say this when a defender is consistently shutting down an attacking player, either by winning tackles, cutting off runs or giving them no space.
• “Top bins” – Say this when a player scores a goal by putting the ball into one of the top corners of the net.
• “Absolute scenes” – Save this for a late goal, a wild moment or anything that sends the crowd into chaos.
• “There’s always next time” – Hopefully you don’t have to use this one, but you can say it after the final whistle if your team loses.

World Cup facts

Need something else to say between the action? Here are some World Cup facts:

• This will be the Canadian men’s third appearance at the World Cup, after competing in 1986 (Mexico) and 2022 (Qatar). Canada’s men’s side has never won a World Cup game.
• Brazil has won the most men’s FIFA World Cups, lifting the trophy a record five times. 
• Four national teams are competing in the World Cup for the first time in 2026: Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan. 
• FIFA says the 2022 World Cup reached a massive global audience, with five billion fans engaging with tournament content across all media. 
• FIFA says the all-time World Cup attendance record is on track to be broken in 2026. The current cumulative attendance record was set at the 1994 World Cup in the U.S., at about 3.5 million fans. FIFA said the 2026 tournament is on course to surpass it.