How scoring works
How each sport is scored — points, games, sets, frames and matches — explained clearly for newcomers.
Browse scoring systems
Each entry is cross-linked to the sports it belongs to and the terms around it.
Badminton scoring
Badminton uses rally scoring to 21 points per game, with matches decided over the best of three games.
Basketball scoring
Basketball is scored by shooting the ball through the hoop, with baskets worth one, two or three points depending on where the shot is taken.
Football (soccer) scoring
Football is scored by goals, with each goal worth one point and the team scoring the most goals winning the match.
How cycling races are timed and placed
Cycling races are decided either by who crosses the line first or by fastest time, and stage races add up cumulative times to rank riders overall.
How fitness progress is tracked
General fitness has no formal scoring, so progress is tracked through measurable markers such as repetitions, load, time, distance and personal bests.
How running races are timed and placed
Running races are decided by finishing order and by elapsed time, measured precisely and settled by the moment a runner's torso crosses the line.
How swimming races are timed and placed
Swimming races are decided by elapsed time and finishing order, with electronic touchpads recording when each swimmer completes the distance.
Padel scoring
Padel borrows tennis scoring, counting points as 15–30–40 within games and playing sets to six games decided by a tiebreak.
Table tennis scoring
Table tennis is scored on every rally to 11 points per game, won by two clear points, over a best-of odd number of games.
Tennis scoring
Tennis is scored in points, games and sets, using the distinctive 15–30–40 point sequence and a win-by-two margin at every level.
Tiebreak scoring
A tiebreak is a short deciding game used in racket sports to settle a set that has reached an even number of games, scored in simple numbers to a fixed target.
Volleyball scoring
Volleyball uses rally scoring, in which a point is won on every rally, and matches are decided over a best-of-five sets.
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