FOOTBALL BASICS
What do GF, GA and GD mean in football?
When you look at a football league table, you will often see abbreviations such as GF, GA and GD. These statistics help show how many goals a team has scored and conceded.
GF — Goals For
GF means Goals For. It is the total number of goals a team has scored in its league matches.
GA — Goals Against
GA means Goals Against. It is the total number of goals a team has conceded.
GD — Goal Difference
GD means Goal Difference. It is calculated by subtracting goals against from goals for:
GD = GF − GA
For example, if a team has scored 20 goals and conceded 12, its goal difference is +8.
Why does it matter?
Goal difference can be used to separate teams that have the same number of points in competitions where the relevant competition rules use it as a tiebreaker.