Field Goal Rules Explained: Scoring, Distance and What Counts

The essentials: a field goal is worth 3 points. It must pass above the crossbar and between the uprights. The kick distance is always the line of scrimmage plus about 17 yards — 10 for the end zone and roughly 7 for the snap depth. And on a miss, the defending team generally takes over at the spot of the kick, not the line of scrimmage.

The Basics

A field goal is a place kick attempted from scrimmage, worth three points. The ball is snapped to a holder, who places it, and the kicker strikes it toward the goalposts. It can be attempted on any down, though in practice it is almost always fourth.

To count, the ball must travel above the crossbar and between the uprights, and it must be kicked — not thrown or carried.

Why the Maths Is +17

This confuses almost everyone new to football. A “43-yard field goal” is not kicked from the 43-yard line.

What Counts as Good

• Over the crossbar. Under it or off it and short is no good. Off the crossbar and over is good.
• Inside the uprights. Hitting an upright and bouncing through is generally good; bouncing back is not.
• The ball must clear cleanly. A blocked kick that still goes through does not count if it was touched behind the line in a way the rules exclude — blocked-kick provisions vary by level.
• Officials under the posts decide. Two officials signal; their judgement is the ruling, subject to review where replay applies.

What Happens on a Miss

This is the part that shapes coaching decisions, because a missed field goal usually costs field position.

In the NFL and college, when a field goal is missed beyond a certain point on the field, the defending team takes possession at the spot of the kick — roughly seven yards behind the line of scrimmage — rather than at the line itself. That is why coaches weigh a long attempt against simply punting.

High school rules on missed field goal possession differ, and are set by state associations. Confirm locally.

How Rules Differ by Level

Hash mark width matters more than people realise. Wider hashes at high school and college level mean more kicks are attempted from a sharp angle, which is why our technique guide stresses practising the angle ladder.

Field Goal vs Extra Point

Mechanically identical — snap, hold, kick — but different in value and situation. An extra point (PAT) follows a touchdown and is worth 1 point. A field goal happens from scrimmage and is worth 3.

The distance of a PAT varies by level, and the NFL in particular has moved its PAT distance to make the kick meaningfully harder than it once was.

Frequently Asked Questions

Blocked Kicks: What Happens Next

A blocked field goal is one of the more confusing situations in football because the ball is live and the rules shift depending on where it ends up.

• Behind the line of scrimmage. A blocked kick that stays behind the line is generally treated as a loose ball — either side can recover it, and the kicking team can advance it.
• Beyond the line. Once the ball crosses the line of scrimmage, the kicking team’s ability to recover and advance is restricted. Provisions differ between levels.
• Into the end zone. A blocked kick that reaches the end zone and is downed there typically results in a touchback.
• Recovered by the defense. The defending team can pick up a blocked kick and run with it, which is how blocked field goals occasionally become touchdowns.

Why Hash Marks Change Everything

One of the least-discussed factors in field goal difficulty is where on the field the ball is spotted laterally — and that is set by hash mark width, which differs sharply by level.

This is why a high school kicker and an NFL kicker attempting “the same” 35-yard field goal can be facing genuinely different problems. The high school kick may come from a much sharper angle, narrowing the effective target.

It also explains why our accuracy drills guide puts so much emphasis on the angle ladder. If you play below the NFL, angled kicks are not an edge case — they are a large share of your attempts.

The Decision: Kick, Punt or Go For It?

Understanding why a coach sends you out — or does not — helps you understand your own role.

Three factors dominate the decision:

1. Your demonstrated range. Not your best-ever kick — your reliable range. Coaches work from what you make consistently in practice, which is one more reason make percentage matters more than a single long boot.
2. The field position cost of a miss. Because a missed kick often surrenders the ball at the spot of the kick, a long attempt that fails hands the opponent excellent position. That cost rises the further out you are.
3. Game situation. Score, time remaining and down all shift the maths. A three-point deficit late makes a low-probability attempt rational; the same kick in the first quarter usually does not.

Fake Field Goals and Special Situations

Not every field goal formation produces a kick.

• Fake field goals. The holder or kicker runs or throws instead of kicking. Legal, and used to exploit an over-committed rush.
• Aborted attempts. A bad snap can turn a field goal into a scramble. Holders and kickers should have a pre-agreed plan for what happens.
• Free kicks after a fair catch. A rare provision at some levels allowing a field goal attempt from a fair catch spot without a rush. It exists more often than it is used.
• Clock considerations. Late in a half, whether the clock stops after a made or missed kick affects strategy significantly.

The Snapper, Holder and Kicker as One Unit

The rules treat a field goal as one play, and so should you. The operation involves three specialists and a protection unit, and failure anywhere ruins the kick.

Operation time is commonly targeted at around 1.3 seconds from snap to strike. A kicker who takes longer than the unit is built for will get kicks blocked regardless of accuracy. This is why rehearsing with your actual snapper and holder matters far more than solo tee work once you reach a competitive level.

Rules Change — Build a Habit of Checking

Kicking rules are among the more actively revised parts of football, particularly anything touching kickoffs and player safety. Provisions that were stable for years have changed repeatedly in recent seasons.

Build a simple pre-season habit:

1. Ask your head coach what has changed for the coming season. They attend rules meetings; you do not.
2. Check your state association’s current publication if you play high school football, looking specifically for the current year rather than an archived document.
3. Ask an official at your first scrimmage. Show them your actual equipment. Officials are generally happy to answer equipment questions before a game.
4. Write down what you learn so you are not relying on memory in week eight.
5. Repeat every single season. Do not assume this year matches last year.

Extra Points: The Other Place Kick

Extra points share the field goal’s mechanics but sit in a different strategic world, and the rules around them have shifted more than most people realise.

• Worth one point, attempted after a touchdown.
• Snap distance varies by level. The NFL in particular moved its extra point back some years ago specifically to make it a genuine skill test rather than a formality, and miss rates rose accordingly.
• The two-point alternative. Teams can decline the kick and run a play from close range for two points instead. That decision has become far more analytics-driven in recent years.
• Same operation, same risks. Bad snap, poor hold, or a blocked kick all apply exactly as with a field goal.

For a kicker, the practical point is that extra points are no longer automatic at higher levels, and treating them as routine is how you miss one at a bad moment. Practise them as deliberately as you practise field goals.

Scoring Every Way a Kick Can Contribute

It is worth having the full scoring picture in one place, because kickers are involved in more of it than people assume.

Add kickoffs — which do not score but heavily influence field position — and the kicker touches the ball in a large share of a game’s scoring-adjacent moments despite playing very few snaps.

Common Misunderstandings

How to Explain Field Goals to Someone New

If you are a parent trying to follow your child’s games, or new to the sport, here is the short mental model that makes most situations make sense.

1. Field goals happen on fourth down, when the offense has run out of attempts to advance and is close enough to try for three points.
2. The distance is always further than the yard line suggests — add about 17.
3. A miss usually costs field position, because the other team often takes over near where the kick was attempted rather than at the line of scrimmage.
4. That trade-off drives the decision. Coaches weigh three likely points against the cost of handing over good position, which is why they sometimes punt instead of attempting a long kick.
5. The kicker is one of three specialists. Snapper, holder and kicker all have to execute in about 1.3 seconds.

Understanding those five points covers the great majority of field goal situations you will see in a game.

Where to Find the Rules That Apply to You

Because this guide deliberately avoids stating one definitive figure for high school play, here is how to get the authoritative answer for your own situation.

1. Your head coach or special teams coordinator. The fastest and most reliable source. They attend rules briefings, deal with officials weekly, and know how your league interprets edge cases in practice rather than just on paper.
2. Your state association’s current publication. For high school football in the United States, your state association publishes the rules and any state-specific modifications. Look for the current season explicitly — archived documents from two years ago are one of the most common sources of confident misinformation.
3. Your league or conference administrator. Some leagues layer their own provisions on top of state rules, particularly at youth level where kickoffs may be modified or removed entirely.
4. The officials at a scrimmage. Bring your actual tee. Officials are generally glad to answer an equipment question before a game rather than rule on it during one.

Whatever you learn, write it down somewhere you will find it again, and repeat the whole exercise next pre-season. Rules genuinely change, and the kicker who assumes last year’s answer still applies is the one who gets a surprise in week one.

For the equipment side specifically, our kicking tee rules guide covers height legality in more depth, and our technique guide covers the operation itself.

Keep Going

This article explains how field goal rules are structured and is informational only. It is not an official rule book. Confirm current regulations with your coach, league, or state association.