Is an own goal from a kickoff or throw-in valid?
No. You cannot score an own goal directly from a kickoff or a throw-in. If the ball goes straight into your own net from either restart, the opponents are awarded a corner kick instead of a goal. You also can't score directly into the opponents' goal from a throw-in.
- 1A goal cannot be scored as an own goal directly from a kickoff; if the ball goes straight into the kicker's own net, the opponents get a corner kick[1]
- 2A goal cannot be scored directly from a throw-in at all: into your own goal it's a corner to the opponents, into the opponents' goal it's a goal kick[2]
- 3A goal can be scored directly against the opponents from a kickoff[1]
- 4The same "no direct own goal" rule applies to goal kicks and corner kicks — the restart becomes a corner for the opponents instead[3]
Own goals are usually freak deflections in open play — but on certain restarts the laws refuse to count them at all.
Can you score an own goal from a kickoff?
No. If a player kicks off and the ball somehow travels straight back into their own goal without anyone else touching it, it does not count. The opponents are given a corner kick. You can, however, score directly against the opponents from a kickoff — a legal, if wildly ambitious, goal.
What about from a throw-in?
A throw-in can't produce a direct goal in either net. If the thrower hurls the ball into their own goal, the opponents get a corner. If it flies straight into the opponents' goal, it's a goal kick. Only after the ball touches another player can a goal stand.
Why does the rule work this way?
The laws treat a few restarts as needing a "real" passage of play before a goal can count. A throw-in is taken with the hands, so allowing a direct goal would reward a throw like a shot. The kickoff exception for own goals stops a bizarre, accidental scoreline from a single backward touch.
Which restarts allow a direct goal?
Against the opponents, you can score directly from a kickoff, a corner kick, a goal kick, a free kick (if direct), and a penalty. You cannot score directly from a throw-in or an indirect free kick, and you can never score a direct own goal from any restart.
Think of it like a play that has to be "live" before points count — similar to how certain NFL restarts (a kickoff into your own end zone, a fair catch) can't simply hand the other team a touchdown. Soccer says a ball put back into play by hand (throw-in) or straight off a restart can't gift a goal in either direction until the game is genuinely in motion and another player is involved.
Key Takeaways
- You cannot score a direct own goal from a kickoff or a throw-in — the opponents get a corner kick instead.
- A throw-in can never produce a direct goal in either net; the ball must touch another player first.
- IFAB — Law 8: The Start and Restart of Play(accessed 2026-06-17)
- IFAB — Law 15: The Throw-in(accessed 2026-06-17)
- IFAB — Law 16: The Goal Kick(accessed 2026-06-17)
- What is a corner kick in soccer?
- What is a goal kick in soccer?
- When is the ball out of play, and how does a throw-in work?
- What is an indirect free kick inside the penalty area, and can you score from it?
- What happens if there are two balls on the pitch, the ball bursts, or an object deflects it into the goal?