Strafraums

Strafraums, in football terminology, refers to the penalty area in front of each goal. Also called the penalty area or penalty box in English, the Strafraum is a rectangular zone that defines where certain fouls are punished with a penalty kick and where the goalkeeper has special privileges to handle the ball.

There are two Strafräume on a standard football pitch, one for each goal, symmetrically placed. The area is defined by lines drawn parallel to the goal line at a distance of 16.5 meters (18 yards) from the goal line, and it is 40.3 meters (44 yards) wide. The Penalty Spot lies at 11 meters (12 yards) from the goal line, centered between the goalposts, and the penalty arc—a semi-circle with a radius of 9.15 meters (10 yards)—is drawn outside the box to provide positioning for players taking penalties.

The Strafraum is a central element of the laws governing fouls and restarts. A foul committed by a defending player inside the Strafraum typically results in a penalty kick for the attacking team. The area also delineates where the goalkeeper may handle the ball; the goalkeeper may use hands to control the ball within the Strafraum under the rules, subject to other infringements. The smaller goal area, or six-yard box, lies within the Strafraum and serves other restart purposes, such as kicks from the goal area.

In practice, the term Strafraum is most commonly used in German-language contexts; the corresponding English terms are penalty area or penalty box. The dimensions and features described align with the Laws of the Game as laid out by IFAB and FIFA and are standard across international and domestic competitions.