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June 27, 2021 by Javier Grazioso Spanish Vocabulary 0 comments

How to Talk about U.S. Football in Spanish

El fútbol americano (American football or simply “football” in Spanish) is the most popular sport in the United States, according to SportsHow. 

About 92 million people watched the Superbowl this year, when Tampa Bay played against Kansas City, according to ESPN.

But why should you learn about something so American in Spanish? 41 million people speak Spanish in the U.S., making it the second most widely-spoken language in the country. What’s more, the U.S. is predicted to be the largest Spanish-speaking country by 2050!

So, gear up and get ready to learn all about football in Spanish!

PRO TIP! If you say el fútbol in Latin America, people assume that you’re talking about soccer. To be clear, call it el fútbol americano. 

Football Terms in Spanish

football in Spanish

You might be curious as to how to divide the two types of American football in Spanish, and it’s pretty easy:

  • Professional football – El fútbol americano profesional o de la NFL
  • NCAA football – El fútbol americano universitario o de la NCAA

Let’s kick-start this guide with some football terms in Spanish. Check out this basic football terms list:

EnglishSpanish
football (sport)el fútbol americano
football (ball)el balón de fútbol americano
sportel deporte
touchdownel touchdown, la anotación
pointslos puntos
scoreel puntaje, el marcador
safetyel safety
foulla falta o el foul
field goalel gol de campo
two-point conversionla conversión de dos puntos
extra pointel punto extra
tacklela tacleada
defensive linela línea defensiva
offensive linela línea ofensiva
playla jugada
first downla primera oportunidad o intento
first and goalla primera y gol
runla corrida
passel pase

More Advanced Football Terms

If you’re a die-hard football fan, you have to learn these next terms in Spanish. 

EnglishSpanish
downla oportunidad
second downla segunda oportunidad
third downla tercera oportunidad
fourth downla cuarta oportunidad
huddleel huddle, el reunión de equipo
complete passel pase completo
incomplete passel pase incompleto
snapel snap
scrimmage linela línea de golpeo, el ataque
interceptionla intercepción
time outel tiempo fuera
challengeel desafío
fumbleel fumble

Example Sentences 

Me gusta el fútbol americano.
I like American football.

¿Cómo se juega al fútbol americano?
How do you play American football?

¡Anotaron un touchdown!
They scored a touchdown!

Drew Brees hace excelentes pases.
Drew Brees makes excellent passes.

Taclearon a ese jugador fuertemente.
They tackled that player strongly.

La línea defensiva tiene muchos hoyos.
The defensive line has many holes.

football in Spanish

Stadiums in Spanish

Did you know that there are 30 NFL stadiums in the United States? What can you find within a football stadium? This list will tell you common elements that you can find in any of those 30 stadiums all around the U.S.

EnglishSpanish
stadiumel estadio
locker roomlos casilleros
fieldel campo, la cancha
grassel pasto, la grama
touchdown zonela zona de anotación
midfieldel medio campo
seatslos asientos
speakerslas bocinas, los altoparlantes
screenslas pantallas
bathroomel baño
ticket boothla taquilla
parking lotel estacionamiento o parqueo
the ____ yard linela línea de la yarda ____
flagla bandera o banderín
atmosphere or environmentla atmósfera, el ambiente
lightslas luces
bandla banda
mascotla mascota
goalpostel poste de anotación

PRO TIP! Talking about yards and yard lines requires numbers. If you don’t know how to count in Spanish, check out this super useful guide: Counting in Spanish from 1 to 100 Million (and Beyond!)

Football Positions in Spanish

What’s the first thing you think about when you talk about football? A quarterback, probably. But how about the linebacker, wide receiver, and kicker? Get ready to learn all of the positions in football in Spanish!

Offensive players in Spanish – Los jugadores ofensivos

EnglishSpanish
quarterbackel quarterback, el mariscal de campo
offensive tackleel offensive tackle, el tacleador (ofensivo)
guardel guard, el guardia
centerel center, el central
running back, halfback or tailbackel corredor
fullbackel corredor de poder
wide receiverel ala abierta, el receptor abierto, el receptor externo
tight endel ala cerrada

Defensive Players in Spanish – Los jugadores defensivos

EnglishSpanish
defensive endel ala defensiva, el extremo defensivo, el extremo
defensive tackleel tacleador (defensivo)
linebackersel apoyador, el apoyo
cornerbacksel esquinero
safetiesel profundo

Special Players in Spanish – Los jugadores especiales

EnglishSpanish
kickerel pateador
holderel sujetador
long snapperel pasador largo
kickoff returnel retornador de patada inicial
punterel despeje
upbackel upback
punt returnel retornador de despeje
gunnerel cañonero
hand teamel equipo de manos
wingbackel destructor de cula

Additional People Related to Football in Spanish

example

Not all of the action present in football happens on the field. Here are some of the other important figures in American football.

EnglishSpanish
refereeel árbitro o referi
coachel entrenador
managerel manager, el gerente
agentel agente
trainerel entrenador
water boyel aguador
ball boyel recogepelotas
ownerel dueño
commissionateel comisionado
audiencela audiencia
fanslos aficionados
journalistslos periodistas
cheerleaderslas cheerleaders, las porristas

Verbs to Talk about Football in Spanish

Here are some of the most common actions that take place en un partido de fútbol americano (in a football match):

  • To throw – lanzar, tirar
  • To tackle – taclear
  • To yell – gritar
  • To order – ordenar
  • To organize – ordenar, organizar
  • To run – correr
  • To jump – saltar
  • To avoid – evitar, esquivar
  • To roll – rotar
  • To fall – caer, caerse
  • To get up – levantarse
  • To pick up – levantar
  • To protect – proteger
  • To hold – sostener
  • To pull – jalar
  • To push – empujar
  • To attack – atacar
  • To defend – defender
  • To catch – atrapar, cachar
  • To kick – patear

Example Sentences 

El mariscal de campo tira el balón y el receptor abierto lo cacha.
The quarterback throws the ball and the wide receiver catches it.

Esos apoyadores son enormes. Deben pesar unas 250 libras.
Those linebackers are huge. They must weigh 250 pounds.

El pateador de mi equipo es excelente, hizo un gol de campo desde la yarda 46.
The kicker on my team is excellent; he scored a field goal from the 46th yard line.

El árbitro tiró el banderín porque hubo falta.
The referee threw the flag because there was a foul.

El entrenador no organizó bien al equipo para este partido.
The coach did not organize his team well for this match.

Los periodistas hacen preguntas incómodas a los jugadores.
Journalists ask the players uncomfortable questions.

What to Wear When Playing Football in Spanish

You might like watching football, but then again, you also might like playing it. If that’s the case, you gear to protect yourself from the blows you might receive while playing. 

EnglishSpanish
kitla indumentaria, el equipo
helmetel casco
shoulder padslas hombreras
padded pantslos pantalones de perneras acolchonadas
shoeslos zapatos
mouthguardel protector bucal
athletic jockstrapel suspensorio atlético
padded rollslos rollos acolchonados
forearm padslos protectores de antebrazo
gloveslos guantes
jerseyla playera
sockslos calcetines, las medias
maskla máscara

Rules of Football in Spanish

football in Spanish

Here are some basic American football rules in Spanish:

Un touchdown vale seis puntos.
A touchdown is worth six points.

Después de anotar un touchdown, tienes la oportunidad de anotar un punto extra.
After scoring a touchdown, you have the chance to score an extra point.

Tienes cuatro oportunidades para avanzar diez yardas antes de perder la posesión.
You have four chances (downs) to advance ten yards before losing the possession.

No puedes correr hacia adelante y luego hacer un pase hacia adelante, solo atrás o a los lados.
You cannot run forward and then make a pass forward, only backwards or sideways.

Un gol de campo vale tres puntos.
A field goal is worth three points.

Un safety vale dos puntos.
A safety is worth two points.

If you’re still unsure of how to talk about some of the basic rules of football in Spanish, check this video made by the NFL: Guía para Principiantes de la NFL.

Penalties in Football in Spanish

Las infracciones o penalizaciones (penalties) are a big part of football.

EnglishSpanish
holdingagarrando, sujetando
false startla salida en falso
off-sideel fuera de juego
personal foulla falta personal
roughing the passerderribar al QB después de que haya tirado el balón
facemasksujetar de la máscara
unnecessary roughnessla rudeza innecesaria
pass interferencela interferencia de pase
intentional groundingel grounding intencional
trippingla zancadilla
delay of the gameel retraso del juego
illegal use of handsel uso ilegal de las manos
chop blockel chop block
clippingel clipping o recorte
encroachmentla invasión

NFL Teams in Spanish

Do we have vocabulary in Spanish for this, too? Yes, we do! While most people might understand what you are talking about when you mention the New Orleans Saints or the New England Patriots, you can study this vocabulary to say their names properly in Spanish.

American Football Conference Teams in Spanish

EnglishSpanish
Buffalo BillsLos Bills de Búfalo
Miami DolphinsLos Delfines de Miami
New England PatriotsLos Patriotas de Nueva Inglaterra
New York JetsLos Jets de Nueva York
Baltimore RavensLos Cuervos de Baltimore
Cincinnati BengalsLos Bengalíes de Cincinnati
Cleveland BrownsLos Browns de Cleveland
Pittsburgh SteelersLos Acereros de Pittsburgh
Houston TexansLos Texanos de Houston
Indianapolis ColtsLos Potros de Indianápolis
Jacksonville JaguarsLos Jaguares de Jacksonville
Tennessee TitansLos Titanes de Tennessee
Denver BroncosLos Broncos de Denver
Kansas City ChiefsLos Jefes de la Ciudad de Kansas
Las Vegas RaidersLos Asaltantes de Las Vegas
Los Angeles ChargersLos Cargadores de Los Ángeles

National Football Conference Teams in Spanish

EnglishSpanish
Dallas CowboysLos Vaqueros de Dallas
New York GiantsLos Gigantes de Nueva York
Philadelphia EaglesLas Águilas de Filadelfia
Washington RedskinsLos pieles rojas de Washington
Chicago BearsLos Osos de Chicago
Detroit LionsLos Leones de Detroit
Green Bay PackersLos Empacadores de Green Bay
Minnesota VikingsLos Vikingos de Minnesota
Atlanta FalconsLos Halcones de Atlanta
Carolina PanthersLas Panteras de Carolina
New Orleans SaintsLos Santos de Nueva Orleans
Tampa Bay BuccaneersLos Bucaneros de Tampa Bay
Arizona CardinalsLos Cardenales de Arizona
Los Angeles RamsLos Carneros de Los Ángeles
San Francisco 49ersLos 49ers de San Francisco
Seattle SeahawksLos Halcones Marinos de Seattle

Learn More Spanish!

Thanks for joining me for this football in Spanish lesson! If you want to expand your football vocabulary, sports vocabulary in general, or simply speak more fluent Spanish, sign up for a free, one-on-one class with our friendly Guatemalan teachers, who’ll get you speaking (more) Spanish in no time! Open the door to speaking to more than 580 million people all around the world (that many people speak Spanish worldwide)! Learn how to speak, read, and understand the third most used language on the internet today!

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Sign up for your FREE TRIAL CLASS today!

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  • Author
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Javier Grazioso
Javier Grazioso
Freelance Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy
Italo-Guatemalan, born and raised in Guatemala City, where I got a B.A. in Communication and Journalism. Currently, I'm living in Spain where I'm studying for a master's degree. I'm a language and travel enthusiast who speaks Spanish, English, Italian, and a bit of Hungarian. I love watching sports, practicing boxing, writing, and gaming.
Javier Grazioso
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