Sports with field goals include American football, Canadian football, basketball, and rugby codes that use a drop goal. The term means different things across these sports: it can describe a kick through goalposts or a made basket during live play.
This guide explains which sports use the term, how many points each score is worth, and where similar scoring plays have a different name. It also clears up a common mix-up: a soccer goal scored during play is not usually called a field goal.
What sports have field goals?
The answer depends on how the sport uses the phrase. In American and Canadian football, a field goal is a place-kicked ball sent through the opponent’s uprights. In basketball, a field goal is any successful shot made from the playing court during live play.
In rugby, the comparable score is called a drop goal: a player drops the ball and kicks it as it rebounds from the ground. Rugby league’s drop goal is also commonly referred to as a field goal, while rugby union uses the term drop goal.
These are not identical plays. A football field goal is an attempt to score through upright posts, a basketball field goal is a made basket, and a rugby drop goal is an open-play kick.
| Sport | What “field goal” means | Points | Best quick distinction |
|---|---|---|---|
| American football | A place kick through the uprights | 3 | A scoring option when a team cannot reach the end zone |
| Canadian football | A place kick through the uprights | 3 | The kick can also produce a single point if it misses in certain ways |
| Basketball | A made shot from the court during live play | 2 or 3 | Free throws do not count as field goals |
| Rugby league | A drop kick through the posts during play | 1 | Often called a field goal; it is a drop goal |
| Rugby union | A drop kick through the posts during play | 3 | The standard term is drop goal, not field goal |
Field goals in American and Canadian football
In both American football and Canadian football, a field goal is usually attempted after a team has used several plays to advance the ball but decides not to keep trying for a touchdown. The kicker aims the ball between the uprights and above the crossbar.
A successful field goal is worth three points in both codes. It can change the score without a touchdown, so teams weigh the kick’s chance of success against the possibility of gaining more yards or turning over the ball.
How the kick is set up
A holder receives the snap and places the ball upright on the ground, while the kicker approaches and strikes it. The offensive line tries to block defenders from reaching the kick. The defenders can attempt to block it or pressure the kicker.
The distance is measured from the line of scrimmage, but the ball is placed several yards behind that line for the snap and kick. As a result, the listed attempt distance is longer than the distance from the line of scrimmage to the goal line.
One important Canadian football difference
Canadian football has a scoring play called a single, or rouge, that American football does not have in the same form. A team can score one point when a kicked ball enters the opponent’s end zone and is not returned out, subject to the play’s rules.
That single is not a successful field goal. A field goal that goes through the uprights is still worth three points; a missed kick can lead to other outcomes depending on where the ball lands and what the receiving team does.
What a field goal means in basketball
In basketball, a field goal is any made basket during live play. A shot from inside the three-point line counts as a two-point field goal; a shot from beyond the line counts as a three-point field goal.
The phrase does not refer only to long-range shots. A layup, dunk, midrange jumper, and three-pointer are all field goals if they go in during play. Free throws are separate because they are awarded after certain fouls and taken from the free-throw line.
This is the main reason the phrase can confuse new fans. In football, a field goal is one specific kind of kick. In basketball, it is a broad category for made shots from the court.
Drop goals in rugby league and rugby union
Rugby players can score during open play by dropping the ball and kicking it as it bounces. If the ball passes between the posts and above the crossbar, the kick scores. The play is called a drop goal in both rugby league and rugby union.
Rugby league
A successful drop goal is worth one point in rugby league. It can be especially useful late in a close match, when a team wants to add a point or break a tie without scoring a try.
Fans and commentators may call this a field goal, particularly in contexts influenced by older terminology. “Drop goal” is the clearer name for the play because it describes how the ball is kicked.
Rugby union
A successful drop goal is worth three points in rugby union. Teams may use it when defenders make it difficult to score a try, or when a player sees an opening during an attack.
Do not assume the rugby and football versions are the same just because both send the ball through uprights. A rugby drop goal happens during open play after a bounce; a football field goal follows a snap and a place kick.
Sports that have similar scores but not field goals
Several sports feature kicks or shots into a goal, but that does not make every score a field goal. The sport’s official scoring vocabulary matters.
- Soccer: A goal scored during play is simply a goal. “Field goal” is not the standard term.
- Australian rules football: Players score goals by kicking the ball between the central posts, but those scores are called goals, not field goals.
- Hockey: A puck or ball crossing the goal line is a goal. It is not a field goal.
- American football touchdowns: A touchdown is a separate scoring play. A field goal is the kick through the uprights.
These distinctions are useful when comparing scoreboards or reading a rulebook. The same words can sound intuitive across sports, but official names and point values are not interchangeable.
How to tell which kind of field goal someone means
Use the sport and the play to identify the meaning. If a player kicks through tall uprights after a snap, the conversation is about football. If a shot goes through a basketball hoop during play, it is a basketball field goal. If a rugby player kicks after dropping the ball, it is a drop goal.
- Identify the sport. This narrows down how the term is being used.
- Check how the ball was played. A place kick, court shot, and drop kick are different actions.
- Use the sport’s scoring name. That prevents confusion between a field goal, free throw, touchdown, and drop goal.
A practical tip: when watching a sport you do not know, listen for the scoring term and check the scoreboard immediately after the play. The points awarded often reveal the rule faster than the play’s appearance does.
Common field-goal misconceptions
“A field goal always means three points.”
No. In American and Canadian football, a successful field goal is worth three points. In basketball, a field goal is worth two or three. Rugby league’s one-point drop goal is sometimes called a field goal, but “drop goal” is more precise.
“Every kick through goalposts is a field goal.”
No. Rugby has drop goals, and other sports use their own scoring terms. The fact that a ball passes between posts does not determine what the play is called.
“A basketball field goal is only a shot from far away.”
No. Any made shot from the court during live play counts, including a layup or dunk. The three-point line determines whether the shot is worth two or three points.
“A soccer goal from open play is a field goal.”
That is not standard soccer terminology. Soccer calls it a goal, regardless of whether the scorer shoots from close range or farther out.