How to Play Paper Soccer: the Complete Rules

Rules · 4 min read · Updated June 11, 2026

Everything you need to play paper soccer: how to draw the pitch, how moves work, what the bounce does, and the two ways to win. Rules first — then a diagram, FAQ and links to go deeper.

How to play paper soccer in 4 steps

1. Set up the pitch. Draw an 8×10 rectangle on squared paper with a 2×1 goal in the middle of each short edge. Place the ball on the centre dot.
2. Make a move. On your turn, draw one line from the ball to a neighbouring dot — straight or diagonal, one square long. Lines can never be reused.
3. Use the bounce. If your line ends on a dot that already has a line through it, or on the edge of the pitch, you immediately move again.
4. Score to win. Put the ball into your opponent’s goal. An own goal counts for the opponent; a player with no legal move on their turn loses.

How to play Paper Soccer

Paper Soccer (also known as piłkarzyki na kartce) is a classic two-player pen-and-paper game played on squared paper. You walk a “ball” across the pitch and into your opponent’s goal — using nothing but straight lines between dots.

The pitch

Draw a rectangle on grid paper (the classic size is 8×10 squares), with a small 2×1 goal in the middle of each short edge. The ball starts on the centre dot.

Making a move

On your turn, draw one line from the ball’s dot to a neighbouring dot — straight or diagonal, one square long. The end of that line is the ball’s new spot, and it’s your opponent’s turn.

Two rules that make it a game

• No reusing lines. You can never draw over an existing segment, and you can’t run along the border. Box yourself in and you’re stuck.
• The bounce (odbicie). If your line ends on a dot that already has a line through it — or on the edge of the pitch — you bounce: you immediately get another move. Chain bounces together and you can dash across the whole pitch in one turn.

How to win

• Score by getting the ball into your opponent’s goal.
• An own goal counts for your opponent — be careful near your own net.
• If it’s your turn and you have no legal move, you lose.

FAQ

Go deeper

• How to win at paper soccer — strategy & tactics
• The history of paper soccer
• Print a pitch and play on paper — free A4 game sheets