Random Soccer Position Generator

Spin one of 17 positions with its job explained, or deal a whole 5, 7 or 9-a-side line-up where nothing comes up twice.

Random Soccer Position Generator

Click the button or the wheel, or press Space or Enter. Press again to skip.Tap the button or the wheel. Tap again to skip.

GoalkeeperSweeper-kee…Right backLeft backCenter backSweeper…wing-backLeft wing-backDefensive…Central…Attacking……midfielderLeft midfielderRight wingerLeft wingerSecond strikerStriker

Sample result

Defensive midfielder

CDM, the holding midfielder or anchor. Sits in front of the center backs, screens them, and covers when a defender goes forward. Number 4 in the English tradition, 6 on the Continent.

My list: 17 positions on the wheel

Your own go on the wheel with the positions.

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    Each winner leaves the wheel before the next spin.

    17 positions on the wheel.

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        All 17 positions

        Goalkeeper 2

        • Goalkeeper GK. The one position the Laws of the Game require, and the sole player who may handle the ball, inside their own penalty area. Traditional shirt number 1.
        • Sweeper-keeper A goalkeeper who plays well off the line, coming out to meet forwards who have beaten the offside trap and reading the game like an extra defender. A style of goalkeeping, so the shirt is still number 1.

        Central defense 2

        • Center back CB. Most teams play two, side by side in front of the goalkeeper, marking zonally or player to player. Heading and tackling matter most. Numbers 5 and 6 in England. In 5-a-side this is the last man, the role futsal calls the fixo.
        • Sweeper SW, or libero. A spare center back behind the defensive line who sweeps up anything that gets through it. Central to Italian catenaccio in the 1960s and rarely seen today.
        Show all 17 positions (13 more)

        Full backs and wing-backs 4

        • Left back LB. The full back on the left, up against the other side's right winger. In the traditional role a full back went no further forward than the halfway line. Traditional number 3.
        • Left wing-back LWB. The name joins winger and full back, and so does the job: the team's width on the left in a back-three shape, defending one minute and crossing the next.
        • Right back RB. The full back on the right of the defense, whose first job is stopping the opposing left winger. Number 2 in the traditional English numbering. One of the two defenders in the 7-a-side preset.
        • Right wing-back RWB. A full back with more emphasis on attack, used with three center backs in a 3-5-2 or a 5-3-2. Owns the whole right touchline, so stamina comes first.

        Attack 4

        • Left winger LW. The old outside left. Dutch and Latin football count wingers as forwards, while English-speaking countries have more often called them midfielders since the 4-4-2.
        • Right winger RW. A wide forward near the touchline who beats the full back with pace and crosses, or switches flanks to cut inside onto the stronger foot. The old outside right.
        • Second striker SS, also support striker or shadow striker: the old inside forward. Plays just off the main striker, scoring and creating. Number 10 in a traditional English 4-4-2.
        • Striker ST, also center forward or number nine. The focal point of the attack, judged mainly on goals, and alone up front in a 4-5-1. In 5-a-side this is the pivot, who holds the ball up for the wings.

        Midfield 5

        • Attacking midfielder CAM, the number ten. Plays in the hole between the midfield and the forwards as the main playmaker. Argentina calls the role the enganche.
        • Central midfielder CM. Links defense and attack through the middle third, the side's engine room. The traditional number 8 is the box-to-box runner.
        • Defensive midfielder CDM, the holding midfielder or anchor. Sits in front of the center backs, screens them, and covers when a defender goes forward. Number 4 in the English tradition, 6 on the Continent.
        • Left midfielder LM. Wide left in a midfield four, once called the left half. Traditional number 11 in England. In 5-a-side the wide players cover their whole side, because there is no full back behind them.
        • Right midfielder RM. Wide right in a flat midfield four such as a 4-4-2: helps the right back, then carries the ball up the flank. Traditional number 7. One of the two wings, futsal's alas, in the 5-a-side preset.

        How this list was compiled: The 17 positions, their grouping into goalkeeper, defenders, midfield and attack, and the role notes follow https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_football_positions. The source lists four kinds of defender (centre-back, sweeper, full-back, wing-back); this list splits them into Central defense (center back, sweeper) and Full backs and wing-backs. Traditional shirt numbers follow https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squad_number_(association_football), English 4-4-2 usage unless the line says otherwise. The futsal role names fixo, ala and pivot follow https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futsal, and the five-a-side penalty area rule follows https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five-a-side_football. All four were checked 2026-09-18. American spellings are used (center back for the source's centre-back). The 5-a-side, 7-a-side and 9-a-side presets are this site's own choice of one common shape per format (1-2-1, 2-3-1 and 3-3-2). They are not official: small-sided rules and shapes vary by organiser. Licence: own work

        How it works

        Goalkeeper, sweeper, number ten or striker: this random soccer position generator spins a wheel of 17 positions and prints the job under the winner. It starts in Elimination mode, where a position that has come up leaves the wheel, so the 5-a-side, 7-a-side and 9-a-side sets each deal a whole line-up.

        Read the full guide

        Deal a 5, 7 or 9-a-side line-up

        Choose a set under Show only and spin five, seven or nine times: every position in that shape comes out once, numbered in the Results list. Put them back refills the wheel at the break. For single spins with repeats allowed, choose All and switch to Normal.

        What the presets contain, and how to build an eleven

        The 5-a-side preset is a 1-2-1 diamond: goalkeeper, a center back as last man, a midfielder on each side and a striker as pivot. The 7-a-side is a 2-3-1 and the 9-a-side a 3-3-2, both common youth shapes. No preset has 11 because every full formation doubles up: a 4-4-2 has two center backs. For a full eleven, open My list, type your formation one position per line, doubles included, and press Spin only mine. Elimination hands out each line once.

        • Coaching 7v7: deal the 7-a-side preset again at each quarter break so every child plays a new line.
        • Training game: spin a position for everyone, then play ten minutes where nobody leaves their own third. Strikers learn how much running a full back does.
        • Only settling who goes in goal? Open My list, type the players' names one per line, press Spin only mine and spin once.

        Questions and answers

        What are the 17 soccer positions on the wheel?

        Goalkeeper and sweeper-keeper. In defense: right back, left back, center back, sweeper and both wing-backs. In midfield: defensive, central, attacking, right and left midfielder. In attack: both wingers, second striker and striker. Each line has a group, and defense has two: Central defense, and Full backs and wing-backs.

        How do I use it for 5-a-side when nobody wants to go in goal?

        Choose 5-a-side and line the players up. Spin five times and give each result to the next player in line. Nothing repeats, so exactly one of them gets the gloves. Some five-a-side leagues keep outfield players out of the penalty area, so check your organiser's rules.

        Is a striker the same as a center forward?

        In most usage, yes. The reference behind this list treats striker and center forward as one position, the number nine, with second striker a separate job just behind. Soccer positions are loose: the Laws of the Game name only the goalkeeper. For fixed jobs, spin the NFL position wheel.

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