A corner in soccer is a restart given to the attacking team when the ball crosses the defending team’s goal line last touched by a defender, and no goal was scored. It is taken from the corner arc nearest to where the ball went out, and it often creates a good scoring chance.

Quick Scoop

  • The ball is placed in the corner arc.
  • The kicker must wait for the ball to be still before striking it.
  • Defenders must keep a set distance away until the kick is taken.
  • The kicker cannot touch the ball again until another player touches it.
  • Teams often use corners to send the ball into the penalty area and try to score.

Why it matters

Corners are one of soccer’s most important set pieces because they can turn pressure into a real goal chance. Teams may play a short corner, aim near post, aim far post, or try to score directly, though that is rare.

Simple example

If Team A attacks, and a defender blocks the ball so it goes over their own goal line without entering the goal, Team A gets a corner kick. If an attacker was the last to touch it, the restart would usually be a goal kick instead.

TL;DR

A corner in soccer is an attacking restart from the corner of the field after a defender last touches the ball over their own goal line, and it gives the attacking team a strong chance to create a goal.