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
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:
| English | Spanish |
| football (sport) | el fútbol americano |
| football (ball) | el balón de fútbol americano |
| sport | el deporte |
| touchdown | el touchdown, la anotación |
| points | los puntos |
| score | el puntaje, el marcador |
| safety | el safety |
| foul | la falta o el foul |
| field goal | el gol de campo |
| two-point conversion | la conversión de dos puntos |
| extra point | el punto extra |
| tackle | la tacleada |
| defensive line | la línea defensiva |
| offensive line | la línea ofensiva |
| play | la jugada |
| first down | la primera oportunidad o intento |
| first and goal | la primera y gol |
| run | la corrida |
| pass | el pase |
More Advanced Football Terms
If you’re a die-hard football fan, you have to learn these next terms in Spanish.
| English | Spanish |
| down | la oportunidad |
| second down | la segunda oportunidad |
| third down | la tercera oportunidad |
| fourth down | la cuarta oportunidad |
| huddle | el huddle, el reunión de equipo |
| complete pass | el pase completo |
| incomplete pass | el pase incompleto |
| snap | el snap |
| scrimmage line | la línea de golpeo, el ataque |
| interception | la intercepción |
| time out | el tiempo fuera |
| challenge | el desafío |
| fumble | el 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.
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.
| English | Spanish |
| stadium | el estadio |
| locker room | los casilleros |
| field | el campo, la cancha |
| grass | el pasto, la grama |
| touchdown zone | la zona de anotación |
| midfield | el medio campo |
| seats | los asientos |
| speakers | las bocinas, los altoparlantes |
| screens | las pantallas |
| bathroom | el baño |
| ticket booth | la taquilla |
| parking lot | el estacionamiento o parqueo |
| the ____ yard line | la línea de la yarda ____ |
| flag | la bandera o banderín |
| atmosphere or environment | la atmósfera, el ambiente |
| lights | las luces |
| band | la banda |
| mascot | la mascota |
| goalpost | el 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
| English | Spanish |
| quarterback | el quarterback, el mariscal de campo |
| offensive tackle | el offensive tackle, el tacleador (ofensivo) |
| guard | el guard, el guardia |
| center | el center, el central |
| running back, halfback or tailback | el corredor |
| fullback | el corredor de poder |
| wide receiver | el ala abierta, el receptor abierto, el receptor externo |
| tight end | el ala cerrada |
Defensive Players in Spanish – Los jugadores defensivos
| English | Spanish |
| defensive end | el ala defensiva, el extremo defensivo, el extremo |
| defensive tackle | el tacleador (defensivo) |
| linebackers | el apoyador, el apoyo |
| cornerbacks | el esquinero |
| safeties | el profundo |
Special Players in Spanish – Los jugadores especiales
| English | Spanish |
| kicker | el pateador |
| holder | el sujetador |
| long snapper | el pasador largo |
| kickoff return | el retornador de patada inicial |
| punter | el despeje |
| upback | el upback |
| punt return | el retornador de despeje |
| gunner | el cañonero |
| hand team | el equipo de manos |
| wingback | el destructor de cula |
Additional People Related to Football in Spanish
Not all of the action present in football happens on the field. Here are some of the other important figures in American football.
| English | Spanish |
| referee | el árbitro o referi |
| coach | el entrenador |
| manager | el manager, el gerente |
| agent | el agente |
| trainer | el entrenador |
| water boy | el aguador |
| ball boy | el recogepelotas |
| owner | el dueño |
| commissionate | el comisionado |
| audience | la audiencia |
| fans | los aficionados |
| journalists | los periodistas |
| cheerleaders | las 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.
| English | Spanish |
| kit | la indumentaria, el equipo |
| helmet | el casco |
| shoulder pads | las hombreras |
| padded pants | los pantalones de perneras acolchonadas |
| shoes | los zapatos |
| mouthguard | el protector bucal |
| athletic jockstrap | el suspensorio atlético |
| padded rolls | los rollos acolchonados |
| forearm pads | los protectores de antebrazo |
| gloves | los guantes |
| jersey | la playera |
| socks | los calcetines, las medias |
| mask | la máscara |
Rules of 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.
| English | Spanish |
| holding | agarrando, sujetando |
| false start | la salida en falso |
| off-side | el fuera de juego |
| personal foul | la falta personal |
| roughing the passer | derribar al QB después de que haya tirado el balón |
| facemask | sujetar de la máscara |
| unnecessary roughness | la rudeza innecesaria |
| pass interference | la interferencia de pase |
| intentional grounding | el grounding intencional |
| tripping | la zancadilla |
| delay of the game | el retraso del juego |
| illegal use of hands | el uso ilegal de las manos |
| chop block | el chop block |
| clipping | el clipping o recorte |
| encroachment | la 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
| English | Spanish |
| Buffalo Bills | Los Bills de Búfalo |
| Miami Dolphins | Los Delfines de Miami |
| New England Patriots | Los Patriotas de Nueva Inglaterra |
| New York Jets | Los Jets de Nueva York |
| Baltimore Ravens | Los Cuervos de Baltimore |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Los Bengalíes de Cincinnati |
| Cleveland Browns | Los Browns de Cleveland |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | Los Acereros de Pittsburgh |
| Houston Texans | Los Texanos de Houston |
| Indianapolis Colts | Los Potros de Indianápolis |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | Los Jaguares de Jacksonville |
| Tennessee Titans | Los Titanes de Tennessee |
| Denver Broncos | Los Broncos de Denver |
| Kansas City Chiefs | Los Jefes de la Ciudad de Kansas |
| Las Vegas Raiders | Los Asaltantes de Las Vegas |
| Los Angeles Chargers | Los Cargadores de Los Ángeles |
National Football Conference Teams in Spanish
| English | Spanish |
| Dallas Cowboys | Los Vaqueros de Dallas |
| New York Giants | Los Gigantes de Nueva York |
| Philadelphia Eagles | Las Águilas de Filadelfia |
| Washington Redskins | Los pieles rojas de Washington |
| Chicago Bears | Los Osos de Chicago |
| Detroit Lions | Los Leones de Detroit |
| Green Bay Packers | Los Empacadores de Green Bay |
| Minnesota Vikings | Los Vikingos de Minnesota |
| Atlanta Falcons | Los Halcones de Atlanta |
| Carolina Panthers | Las Panteras de Carolina |
| New Orleans Saints | Los Santos de Nueva Orleans |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Los Bucaneros de Tampa Bay |
| Arizona Cardinals | Los Cardenales de Arizona |
| Los Angeles Rams | Los Carneros de Los Ángeles |
| San Francisco 49ers | Los 49ers de San Francisco |
| Seattle Seahawks | Los 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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