Soccer Guides / Watching and stats
Live-score terms and abbreviations
What FT, HT, AET, AGG, PEN, GD and the other abbreviations and icons in live-score apps mean, from match status codes to league table columns.
Why so many abbreviations?
Live-score apps fit a lot of information on a small screen, so they use short codes for match status, results and table columns. Once you know them, you can read any scoreboard in seconds.
Match status codes
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| KO or a time | Kick-off time, shown before the match |
| 1H or a minute (e.g. 23') | First half in progress |
| HT | Half-time |
| 2H or a minute (e.g. 67') | Second half in progress |
| 90+3' | Third minute of stoppage time (added time) at the end of the second half |
| FT | Full-time, the match ended after 90 minutes plus added time |
| ET | Extra time in progress |
| AET | After extra time: the result after 120 minutes |
| PEN or P | Decided by a penalty shootout |
| PST or Postp. | Postponed to another date |
| Susp. | Suspended: stopped, may resume later |
| Aband. | Abandoned: stopped and not completed |
| Canc. | Cancelled |
| TBD | Time or date to be decided |
Reading results
- 3-1 (FT): a normal result after 90 minutes.
- 2-2 AET, 4-3 PEN: the match was 2-2 after extra time and was decided 4-3 in the shootout. The shootout score does not count as goals in statistics. See extra time and shootouts.
- AGG 3-2: the combined score over two legs in a two-legged tie.
- (H) and (A): home and away.
Event icons
| Icon or label | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ball | Goal |
| OG | Own goal |
| P or (pen) | Goal from a penalty |
| Yellow card | Caution |
| Red card | Sending-off |
| Yellow and red together | Second yellow card, leading to a sending-off |
| Arrows in and out | Substitution |
| VAR | A video review is in progress or changed a decision; see VAR |
| Missed penalty | Penalty saved or missed |
League table columns
| Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
| P, MP or GP | Matches played |
| W, D, L | Wins, draws, losses |
| GF or F | Goals for (scored) |
| GA or A | Goals against (conceded) |
| GD | Goal difference: goals for minus goals against |
| Pts | Points: usually 3 for a win, 1 for a draw |
| Form | Results of recent matches, often shown as W, D, L letters or colored dots |
Colored bands beside table positions usually show what those places lead to, such as qualification for a competition, a playoff spot or relegation.
Lineup and stats terms
- XI: the starting eleven.
- Formation: for example 4-3-3; see formations.
- Possession %, shots, shots on target, corners, fouls: basic match stats.
- xG: expected goals, the quality of chances; see expected goals.
- Clean sheet: a team or goalkeeper conceding no goals.
- Brace and hat-trick: two goals and three goals by one player in a match.
Notifications
Most apps let you follow teams and competitions and choose alerts for kick-off, goals, red cards, half-time and full-time. Alerts may arrive a few seconds before or after the TV picture because broadcast feeds have delays.
If a goal appears and then disappears, it was probably ruled out after a VAR review. The app usually updates with a short note once the decision is final.
