Football, asked
Nine million events across 1,243 competitions, back to 2008. These are answers you cannot get from one league, because they only appear when every league is counted the same way.
Goals
- Where do goals arrive latest?
K League 1 (South Korea) decides more matches late than anywhere else: 16.4% of its goals arrive from the 85th minute on.
- Which leagues start fastest?
Super League (Switzerland) starts fastest: 14% of its goals come in the opening fifteen minutes.
- Where is stoppage time most dangerous?
K League 1 (South Korea) scores most after the ninety are up: 10.8% of its goals land in the 90th minute.
- First half or second?
Super Liga (Serbia) leans earliest of all: 45.6% of its goals arrive in the first half.
- Which leagues come out hardest after the break?
AFC Champions League Elite (International) comes out hardest: 17.1% of its goals arrive between the 46th and 60th minute.
- Where are most goals scored from the spot?
Pro League (Saudi Arabia) scores most from the spot: 12% of its goals are penalties.
- Where do defenders score most against themselves?
Premier League (England) sees the most: 3.6% of its goals are own goals.
- Which leagues build their goals?
Bundesliga (Germany) builds most of its goals: 70.5% arrive with an assist.
- How much football happens in added time?
Pro League (Saudi Arabia) plays the most consequential added time: 15.3% of its goals land in it.
- How fast does a side hit back?
Major League Soccer (United States) hits back fastest: 12.4% of its goals answer the opponent inside ten minutes.
- Where do hat-tricks happen?
DFB Pokal (Germany) sees them most — hat-tricks per match: 0.063.
- When are goals scored?
The 55th minute, more than any other.
- Where is the spot-kick most common?
Pro League (Saudi Arabia) sees most — penalties converted per match: 0.372.
Discipline
- Which leagues send players off most?
Liga MX (Mexico) sends players off more often than any other — red cards per match: 0.342.
- Which leagues book most?
Super League 1 (Greece) books more than anyone — yellow cards per match: 5.27.
- Where do referees reach for a card earliest?
Euro Championship (International) reaches for a card earliest: 6.4% of its cards come in the first fifteen minutes.
- Where do tempers go last?
Pro League (Saudi Arabia) loses its head latest: 23.2% of its cards come after the 85th minute.
- How many cards fall in added time?
Pro League (Saudi Arabia) sees most of it after the whistle should have gone: 21.6% of its cards fall in added time.
- When does a sending-off happen?
Serie A (Brazil) sends players off latest of all: on average in the 69th minute.
- How many cards does a goal cost?
Liga Profesional Argentina (Argentina) is the most attritional — cards per goal scored: 2.39.
- When are cards shown?
The 89th minute, more than any other.
- What does a sending-off cost?
A red card is most expensive in J1 League (Japan): the side reduced to ten loses 61.8% of the time.
- How often does a match end with eleven against ten?
Liga MX (Mexico) loses a player most often: 28.4% of its matches see a red card.
- Do cards come before or after the break?
Premiership (Scotland) saves it for the second half more than anyone: 68.6% of its cards come after the break.
Video review
- Where does video review rule out most goals?
Premier League (England) rules out more goals than anywhere else — per match: 0.57.
- Where does review award most penalties?
Premiership (Scotland) sees review point to the spot most — penalties per match: 0.431.
- Which leagues stop for review most?
Pro League (Saudi Arabia) stops for review most — decisions per match: 1.43.
Results
- How wide is the average result?
Eredivisie (Netherlands) is the least competitive — average goal margin: 1.57.
- Where is football highest-scoring?
Eredivisie (Netherlands) is the highest-scoring of the lot — goals per match: 3.13.
- Where do matches end goalless most?
Liga Profesional Argentina (Argentina) ends goalless most often: 11.9% of its matches finish 0:0.
- Where do matches produce four goals or more?
Eredivisie (Netherlands) delivers most often: 38.8% of its matches carry four goals or more.
- Where are matches most one-sided?
Eredivisie (Netherlands) is the most one-sided: 9.2% of its matches end by four goals or more.
- Which leagues draw most?
Serie B (Italy) ends level most often: 32.3% of its matches are drawn.
- Where does home advantage still count?
Home is worth most in Major League Soccer (United States): 49.2% of matches go to the side playing there.
- Does the first goal decide the match?
In Super Liga (Serbia) the opening goal is worth most: the side that scores first wins 73% of the time.
- Does a half-time lead hold?
A half-time lead is safest in Super Liga (Serbia): it holds 79.7% of the time.
- Where is a half-time deficit survivable?
Nowhere is a half-time deficit less final than in Serie B (Italy): the trailing side avoids defeat 30.4% of the time.
- How often do both sides score?
Super League (Switzerland) leaves fewest clean sheets: both sides score in 61.5% of its matches.
- Where are clean sheets most common?
Super League 1 (Greece) shuts the door most: at least one side keeps a clean sheet in 57% of matches.
- Which leagues are decided by a single goal?
J1 League (Japan) is the tightest: 43.1% of its matches are settled by a single goal.
- Where is it easiest to win away?
The trip is least daunting in J1 League (Japan): visitors win 34.4% of the time.
- What share of goals is scored at home?
Serie A (Brazil) tilts hardest towards home: 59.5% of its goals are scored by the side playing there.
- How often is it still level and goalless at the break?
K League 1 (South Korea) makes you wait longest: 37.5% of its matches are still goalless at half-time.
- Who opens the scoring, home or away?
The home side takes the initiative most in Serie A (Brazil): it opens the scoring 61.3% of the time.
- What is the most common score in each league?
Serie B (Italy) is the most predictable in football: 1:1 accounts for 16.2% of its matches.
- Where is football played in front of the most seats?
Premier League (England) plays in the largest grounds — average capacity: 45,291.
- Which result was the least expected?
Bodo/Glimt 0:1 Valerenga was the least expected result.
- Where do favourites fall most often?
Favourites fall most often in Superliga (Denmark): they lost 37.5% of the matches they were expected to win.
- Which competitions cannot settle it in ninety minutes?
DFB Pokal (Germany) settles fewest inside the ninety: 21% of its ties run on.
Shape and bench
- When does the first substitution come?
Premier League (England) waits longest: its first change comes on average in the 59th minute.
- Which leagues use their bench hardest?
Segunda División (Spain) uses its bench hardest — changes per match: 8.04.
- Who plays three at the back?
Serie A (Italy) commits hardest: 45.4% of its line-ups start with three defenders.
- Where does 4-4-2 survive?
Copa del Rey (Spain) keeps the faith: 28.5% of its line-ups are still 4-4-2.
- Where is 4-2-3-1 the default?
Super League 1 (Greece) is the most uniform: 56% of its line-ups are 4-2-3-1.
- When are substitutions made?
The 46th minute, more than any other.
- What shape does each league default to?
Super League 1 (Greece) is the most uniform: 56% of its line-ups are 4-2-3-1.
- How much do substitutes score?
Copa del Rey (Spain) gets most from its bench: 26.7% of its goals come from a player who started the match sitting down.
Comebacks
- Where are matches turned around most?
Major League Soccer (United States) turns matches around most: 1.9% of its results were rescued from two goals down or worse.
- Who came back from furthest behind?
Gangwon FC, goal deficit: 4.
- How often is a two-goal lead thrown away?
A two-goal lead is worth least in Major League Soccer (United States): it fails to bring a win 10% of the time.
How the ball is played
- Which leagues shoot most?
A-League (Australia) shoots most — attempts per side per match: 13.68.
- Who hits the target most?
Premier League (Ukraine) is the most accurate: 43.2% of its shots are on target.
- Where do they shoot from distance?
Serie A (Brazil) tries its luck most: 43.9% of its shots come from outside the box.
- Which leagues win the most corners?
A-League (Australia) forces the most — corners per side per match: 5.44.
- Where is the game stopped most?
Super League 1 (Greece) stops most often — fouls per side per match: 15.7.
- Which defences hold the highest line?
La Liga (Spain) catches most — offsides per side per match: 2.21.
- Which goalkeepers are busiest?
Goalkeeping is hardest work in Eredivisie (Netherlands) — saves per match: 3.32.
- Where is the passing cleanest?
Serie A (Italy) keeps the ball best: 82.1% of its passes find a teammate.
- Where is possession most one-sided?
Premiership (Scotland) is the most lopsided — average gap from half the ball, in points: 10.73.
- Who gets into the box?
Premiership (Scotland) works closest: 65.5% of its shots come from inside the box.
- Where do defenders throw themselves in front of most?
Premiership (Scotland) blocks most: 29% of shots at its goal are stopped before they arrive.
- Which leagues finish above their chances?
Primeira Liga (Portugal) finishes best — goals for every one its chances were worth: 1.07.
Squads
- Which leagues field the youngest players?
Copa America (International) is the youngest of the lot — average age: 27.82.
- Where are the tallest teams?
Bundesliga (Germany) stands tallest — average height in centimetres: 183.86.
- Which leagues are most foreign?
Pro League (Saudi Arabia) leans hardest on players from elsewhere: 100% of its squads are foreign.
- Where do a league’s players come from?
Serie A (Brazil) is the most homogeneous: 90.4% of it is Brazil.
Players
- Which league leans hardest on one man?
L. Messi has scored 2.4% of every goal La Liga (Spain) has produced since 2008 — goals: 360.
- Who scores latest?
L. Messi has scored more goals from the 85th minute on in La Liga (Spain) than anyone else there — goals: 48.
- Who collects the most cards?
Dominik Kohr has collected more cards in Bundesliga (Germany) than anyone in the archive — cards: 110.
- Who has laid on the most goals?
T. Müller has set up more goals in Bundesliga (Germany) than anyone in the archive — assists: 151.
- Who is a year older today?
Kim Seung-Sub celebrates a birthday today — age: 30.
Runs and records
- What is the longest a side has gone unbeaten?
Bayer Leverkusen, matches: 55.
- What is the longest winning run?
Shakhtar Donetsk, matches: 23.
- How long can a side keep scoring?
Al-Hilal Saudi FC, matches: 93.
- How long can a defence go untouched?
Burnley, matches: 13.
- What is the longest a side has gone without winning?
Veracruz, matches: 41.
- What is the heaviest defeat on record?
Coupe de France (France) holds the heaviest: 14:0, margin: 14.
What has changed
- Are draws disappearing?
Draws have gone from 27.1% of matches in 2010 to 26.3% in 2025.
- Is home advantage fading?
Home sides won 46.7% of matches in 2010 and 43.5% in 2025.
- Is football getting higher-scoring?
Goals per match — 2010: 2.64, 2025: 2.72.
- Are referees booking more?
Bookings per match — 2015: 4.29, 2025: 4.28.
- The death of 4-4-2
4-4-2 accounted for 17.3% of line-ups in 2016 and 11.1% in 2025.
- The rise of three at the back
Three at the back went from 9% of line-ups in 2016 to 26% in 2025.
- What five substitutions did to football
Changes per match — 2010: 5.49, 2025: 9.01.
- Are matches decided later than they used to be?
12.7% of goals arrived after the 85th minute in 2010, 14% in 2025.
- Is the game being stopped more?
Fouls per side — 2015: 4.79, 2025: 12.4.
- Are defences still holding a line?
Offsides per side — 2015: 2.16, 2025: 1.76.
- Are there more corners than there used to be?
Corners per side — 2015: 5.05, 2025: 4.84.
- Are fewer players being sent off?
Red cards per match — 2015: 0.261, 2025: 0.208.
- Is football becoming more foreign?
42.5% of appearances were made by foreigners in 2010, 46.2% in 2025.
- Is football getting younger?
Average age — 2010: 24.94, 2026: 28.14.
- Are footballers getting taller?
Average height in centimetres — 2010: 181.61, 2026: 177.58.
- Are teams shooting more or less?
Shots per side — 2015: 11.62, 2025: 12.72.