What Do GF, GA, and GD Mean in Football? Explained
If you follow football, you have probably come across league tables, and saw the abbreviations that can be confusing at first glance. Three of the most common ones you will see are GF, GA, and GD, so what do they mean?
Abbreviations, GF, GA, and GD show up in league standings and they help determine where teams rank when points are level. Understanding them makes it much easier to read a table and follow a title race, so here’s everything you need to know.
What Does GF Mean in Football?
GF stands for Goals For in football. It is the total number of goals a team has scored in a competition or a season. You will see it as a column in football league tables, including the Premier League table.
A high GF number usually means a team has been scoring a lot of goals and they are an attacking side.
Here is a quick example:
- Team A has played 10 games and scored 22 goals
- Their GF is 22
What Does GA Mean in Football?
GA in football means Goals Against. It is the total number of goals a team has conceded across their matches in a competition. The lower the GA the better since it can mean that the team has a solid defence.
You will see GA sitting right next to GF in most league tables. Together, GF and GA in football give you a quick read on how a team is performing. These statistics are also commonly highlighted across online sportsbooks included in a list of all betting sites, as they help users assess a team’s form at a glance.
An example of this would be:
- Team A has played 10 games and conceded 8 goals
- Their GA is 8
What Does GD Mean in Football?
GD means Goal Difference in football. You get it by subtracting a team’s GA from their GF. So if a team has scored 22 goals and conceded 8, their GD is +14.
GD becomes especially important when two or more teams are level on points. It’s the first tiebreaker used to separate teams.
- Team A has a GF of 22 and a GA of 8 , their GD is +14
- Team B has a GF of 18 and a GA of 10, their GD is +8
- Both teams are level on points, but Team A finishes higher because of the better GD.
FAQs About GF, GA, and GD in Football
What is GF and GA in the Premier League table?
GF is Goals For, the total goals a team has scored. GA is Goals Against, the total goals a team has conceded. Both columns are visible in the Premier League table standings.
What is GA and GF in LaLiga?
It means the same thing. GF is Goals For and GA is Goals Against. These abbreviations are standard across all major football leagues, including LaLiga.
What is the worst GD in Premier League history?
Southampton has the lowest GD in Premier League history with -301. Sunderland trails them behind with -298, as of writing this article.