The Main Soccer/Football Vocabulary in Portuguese

Brazil loves football — we call it a national passion. It is very common to see people discussing football during friendly meetings, taxi rides, bus stops, and happy hours. We know how much our students love to practice Portuguese with locals as much as they can. That’s why if you love football you should learn the main football vocabulary in Portuguese to practice when you have the chance.

We are sure your Brazilian friends will love to talk about football with you, especially knowing you understand all the football slang and vocabulary.

Check the main soccer/football vocabulary in Portuguese:

Acréscimos

Extra minutes added to the end of each half time to compensate for the lost time during the game due to injury or fouls.

Artilheiro

The player who scored the most in a game or for a team in general. The top scorer.

Bicicleta

An acrobatic strike in which the player kicks the ball rearward in midair.

Camisa 10

The most important player on the team. It doesn’t matter if they use the number 10 on their jersey or not.

Caneta

It is the name of the action when a player kicks the ball between the opponent’s legs. Caneta in Portuguese means ‘pen’, which the opponent’s legs are compared to.

Carrinho

It is when a defender of a team tries to push the ball away from the opposing player by leaping forward with an extended leg. This is a risky tackle move often considered a foul when the defender does not perform it correctly by the rules.

Chapéu

When the player kicks the ball high into the air aiming to pass it over the opponent’s head. In Portuguese, chapéu means ‘hat’.

Drible

A technical maneuver used by the player of a team to make the ball go past the opponents. A dribbling move.

Escanteio

If the ball goes out of play over the goal line, having last been touched by a member of the defending team, the game is restarted. That occurs by a player of the offensive team kicking the ball from the corner of the field nearest to where it went out. This procedure is called escanteio.

Falta

When a player commits a misconduct act which the referee considers to be unfair or against the football rules. 

Frango

This happens when the goalkeeper can’t defend a goal from an easily defensible shot. Funny thing is frango means chicken in Portuguese. Interesting football vocabulary in Portuguese, huh?

Gaveta

To kick the ball in the upper right or left angle of the post and score the goal.

Impedimento

The offside, one of the Laws of the Game. It occurs when an attacker of the opposing team is closer to the goal line than the second-last opponent and also the ball. If said attacker commits this fault, we say they are ‘impedido’.

Lambreta

A rainbow kick. It is a trick used in football when a player steps to the side of the ball and flicks it up round from the side of them. 

Lateral

It is a method of restarting the game after the ball exits the side of the field.

Passe

The action of passing the ball for another player of your team. 

Pelada

A casual football match between friends.

Pênalti

A direct free kick foul committed by a team within its own penalty area.

Placar

The score of the game.

Prorrogação

Some games can not end in a tie, because a winner is required.  If the game is still tied after the 90-minute ordinary time, two extra 15-minute periods are given as overtime. That extra time is called prorrogação in Portuguese.

Tesoura

As mentioned above, if the carrinho tackle goes wrong and the defensor commits a foul, their legs might block the opposite player, making them fall. When a sliding tackle goes wrong, it is called a tesoura, because both legs of the defensor player hold the legs of the attacker, preventing them to move.

Tiro de meta

It is a method of restarting the game when the ball leaves the field completely from the end line having been last touched by an opposing attacking player. The goalkeeper is usually the one that kicks the ball back to the game.

Trave/Travessão

Trave is the vertical posts of the goal. And travessão is the top horizontal bar of the goal post.

Now you know the main football vocabulary in Portuguese and can have a great conversation with your friends. Don’t forget to keep studying Portuguese to improve your general vocabulary and conversation skills. Caminhos Language Centre can help you with private Portuguese lessons tailored to your needs and interests. Book your classes now and our team of native teachers will make sure to prepare the perfect Portuguese class for you!

Furthermore, if you’ve enjoyed learning new football vocabulary in Portuguese, you might also like our recent blog post The Top Brazilian Clubs: Understanding Brazilians’ Passion for Football. Check it out!