Table football

Table football is a tabletop game loosely based on association football.

In North America, players often call it foosball or table soccer. The main objective is to move a ball into the opponent's goal. Players achieve this by manipulating metal rods that run across the table. Attached to these rods are small figures, often called foos men, which resemble football players. These figures can be made of plastic, metal, wood, or even carbon fibre. Because it can be played casually or competitively, the game carries a sense of skill and excitement for players worldwide.

To play the game, players must master the mechanics of the rods and figures. A typical adult table is 150 cm long and 90 cm wide. The table usually contains eight rows of foos men. Each team controls four of these rows: the goalkeeper, defenders, midfield, and strikers.

A match begins when a player serves the ball through a side hole or places it by hand. A coin toss usually decides who serves first. If a ball leaves the table or becomes unreachable, it is called a dead ball. Expert players can move the ball at incredible speeds, sometimes reaching up to 56 km/h.

There are many different ways to arrange the players on the table. In a standard ITSF configuration, the rows are organized from one side to the other. The first row is the goalkeeper, which usually has one man. The second row consists of two defenders. The third row contains three players for the opponent's attack. The fourth row has five midfielders, while the fifth row has five for the opponent's midfield. The sixth row has three attackers, the seventh has two defenders, and the eighth is the opponent's goalkeeper.

However, there are substantial variations in models used in Spain and South America, such as the Futbolín table.

History shows that many inventors contributed to the modern game. Patents for similar tabletop games appeared in Germany and France as early as the 1890s. In 1921, Harold Searles Thornton patented an "Apparatus for playing a game of table football" in the United Kingdom. Interestingly, he drew inspiration from a box of matches. In the 1930s, French inventor Lucien Rosengart created a version called babyfoot to entertain his grandchildren.

Later, in 1937, Alejandro Finisterre patented the futbolín in Madrid, Spain. His specific design is the one used in modern-day table football.

Today, the game is organized by professional bodies like the International Table Soccer Federation (ITSF). Established in France in 2002, the ITSF regulates international competitions and works with the International Olympic Committee.

The ITSF organizes major events like the World Cup and the World Championships. For example, in 2013, nearly 500 players from 30 different countries gathered in Nantes, France, to compete. The game has also expanded globally, with sanctioned tournaments in China, Taiwan, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

Players use various techniques to win matches. One forbidden move is "spinning," which involves using the palm to rotate a rod a full 360 degrees. Instead, players use wrist strokes to kick the ball. Advanced players might use a "Snake-shot" or "roll-over" to strike the ball with maximum strength. Another rare, highly skilled move is "back-stabbing." This occurs when a player hits the ball against the wall so it rebounds into the opposing defender and enters the goal.

These techniques allow players to catch opponents off guard during intense matches.

Table football also connects to technology and art. There are different official brands like Bonzini, Roberto Sport, Garlando, Tornado, and Leonhart. These brands influence how the game feels due to different table shapes or ball materials like cork or plastic. Even robots have entered the field. The Foosbot is a robot designed to play, and students in Denmark and Switzerland are developing bots that use cameras to play.

From small club games to massive 7-metre artistic tables, table football remains a diverse and evolving sport.