What Is a Corner Kick in Football? Rules and Types

What is a corner kick in football? It is a restart after the defending team sends the ball over its own goal line. The referee points to the corner, and a player places the ball in the corner area. From there, one kick can send the ball into the penalty area, where team-mates wait to head it home. Corners are one of the most exciting set pieces in football. This guide explains the rules in plain English: when corners are awarded, the 10-yard rule, short corners, and the famous Olympic goal.

Last updated: November 2026

Quick Answer

• What is a corner kick in football? A restart awarded when the whole ball crosses the goal line after last touching a defender, with no goal scored.
• The taker places the ball inside the corner area nearest to where it crossed the line, and the ball must be still when kicked.
• Opponents must stay at least 9.15 m (10 yards) from the corner arc until the ball is in play.
• A goal can be scored directly from a corner. Such a goal is called an Olympic goal.
• A player cannot be offside when receiving the ball directly from a corner kick.

What Is a Corner Kick in Football? The Basic Rules

The simplest answer to what is a corner kick in football is a restart from the corner of the pitch. IFAB Law 17 covers corner kicks. It sets out when the referee awards one, where the ball goes, and what the players around it may and may not do.

The taker places the ball inside the corner area nearest to where it crossed the goal line. That area is a quarter circle with a radius of 1 metre (1 yard) from the corner flagpost. It must be stationary when the taker kicks it. That means still on the ground, not rolling.

The ball is in play once the taker kicks it and it clearly moves. It does not have to leave the corner area, so a short pass to a team-mate just outside it puts the ball in play at once.

The kicker must not touch the ball again until another player has touched it. If the kicker touches it twice in a row, the referee awards an indirect free kick to the other team. To learn how indirect free kicks work, read our guide on what is a free kick in football.

When Is a Corner Kick Awarded?

The referee awards a corner kick when the whole ball crosses the goal line without a goal being scored. It must have last touched a player of the defending team, on the ground or in the air. The whole ball must cross the whole line. If any part still hangs over it, play goes on.

Corners happen in a few common ways. For example, a defender blocks a shot and the ball flies over the goal line. A goalkeeper tips a shot over the crossbar. A defender clears the ball under pressure and sends it behind the goal. In each case, the defending team touched the ball last, so the attacking team gets the corner.

The result changes when an attacker touches the ball last: the goalkeeper takes a goal kick instead. As a result, defenders work hard to keep the ball in play near their own goal line. If the ball crosses the side line instead of the goal line, the referee awards a throw-in, not a corner.

The 10-Yard Rule and the Corner Arc

Opponents must stay at least 9.15 m (10 yards) from the corner arc until the ball is in play. The rule gives the taker room to play the ball. The referee can order players back if they creep too close.

Marks on the goal line and the touchline, 10 yards from the corner area, help the referee enforce the distance. As a result, arguments about distance are rare. Meanwhile, the taker may stand as close to the ball as they like. Team-mates may stand anywhere outside the corner area.

What Is a Corner Kick in Football? The Olympic Goal

A player can score directly from a corner kick against the opponents. Such a goal carries the name Olympic goal, or Olimpico goal. The ball curves straight from the corner into the goal untouched.

To understand what is a corner kick in football worth at its best, look at the history of the Olympic goal. IFAB legalised scoring directly from a corner on 14 June 1924. The first such goal came on 2 October 1924, when Argentina’s Cesáreo Onzari scored against Uruguay. Uruguay had just won the 1924 Olympic title. The goal took its name from those Olympic champions.

However, a team can never score an own goal directly from a corner kick. If the ball goes straight into the kicker’s own goal from a corner, the opponents get a corner kick instead. The rule sounds strange. Yet it follows the same logic as the rule for free kicks: a team cannot score an own goal directly from a restart.

Inswinging, Outswinging and Short Corners

Corners come in different shapes, and each one asks a different question of the defence. An inswinging corner curves towards the goal as it travels. The goalkeeper faces a hard choice, because the ball bends in over the defenders and towards the goalmouth.

An outswinging corner curves away from the goal, bending towards the attackers as they run in to meet it. As a result, attackers meet the ball at speed. Defenders then find it hard to clear without help from the goalkeeper.

A short corner works differently. Instead of crossing the ball into the box, the taker plays it to a nearby team-mate. The short pass draws defenders out of the penalty area and opens up a better angle for a cross or a shot. In fact, teams use short corners when the penalty area is packed with defenders.

Teams also aim at different spots. A near-post delivery reaches the front of the goal for a flick-on. A far-post delivery reaches the back for a tall attacker to head home.

Can You Be Offside from a Corner Kick?

No, a player cannot be offside when receiving the ball directly from a corner kick. The no-offside exception in Law 11 covers goal kicks, throw-ins and corner kicks. As a result, an attacker can stand beyond the last defender and still receive the ball legally.

However, the exception only covers the first touch from the corner itself. Once a team-mate flicks the ball on, normal offside rules apply again. Attackers time their runs carefully, and defenders keep a line even at corners.

The Goalkeeper’s Eight Seconds

Since 2025, a goalkeeper who holds the ball for more than eight seconds concedes a corner kick. The change gives the attacking team a real reward when a goalkeeper wastes time. Before the change, the same offence gave an indirect free kick instead. That was a poor reward, since a team can hardly score from an indirect free kick inside the penalty area.

As of November 2026, the eight-second rule is part of the Laws of the Game. Goalkeepers must release the ball quickly, so matches flow better.

What Is a Corner Kick in Football? Famous Corner Goals

The most famous Olympic goal in the women’s game came at the London 2012 Olympics. Megan Rapinoe of the United States scored direct from a corner against Canada in the Olympic semi-final. Her goal was the first Olympic goal in women’s Olympic football. It showed that a corner can decide even the biggest matches.

Since then, players have scored direct from corners in league matches, cup finals and international games.

Sources disagree on the exact figures for direct corner goals. This guide makes no claim about who scored the most. What matters is the point the goals prove: a corner is a real chance to score, not just a way to restart play.

What Is a Corner Kick in Football? Frequently Asked Questions

These are the questions fans ask most about what is a corner kick in football.

When is a corner kick awarded?

When the whole ball crosses the goal line without a goal being scored, after last touching a player of the defending team.

Can you score directly from a corner kick?

Yes. A player can score directly from a corner against the opponents, and football calls such a goal an Olympic goal.

Can you be offside from a corner kick?

No. The no-offside exception covers goal kicks, throw-ins and corner kicks. A player can receive the ball directly from a corner even beyond the last defender.

What happens if the kicker touches the ball twice?

An indirect free kick goes to the other team. The kicker must not touch the ball again until another player has touched it.

What is a short corner?

A corner played to a nearby team-mate instead of crossed into the box. It draws defenders out and opens up a better angle for a cross or a shot.

What is an Olympic goal?

A goal scored directly from a corner kick, without any other player touching the ball. IFAB legalised it on 14 June 1924, and the first one came from Argentina’s Cesáreo Onzari on 2 October 1924.

Conclusion

So what is a corner kick in football? It is a restart that can change a match. Most corners send the ball into a crowded penalty area, where one header can decide the game. A few bend straight into the goal as Olympic goals. The rules are simple once you know them: the defending team must have touched the ball last, the ball sits in the corner area, opponents stay 10 yards back, and no one can be offside from the corner itself. A late corner can even send a cup tie to extra time. For more football stories, visit our Sports News page. Follow the next matches on our free live scores page, and see ideas for upcoming matches on our free football predictions page.

Related: To learn how the throw-in restart works, read our guide on What Is a Throw-in in Football? Rules Explained.

Related: To learn how the goal line restart works when the attackers touch the ball last, read our guide on what is a goal kick in football.