Why Does a Football Swerve?

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Images, Videos & Interactives

A spinning soccer ball is shown with curved blue airflow lines around it, illustrating the Magnus effect. Text reads: spinning ball equals spinning air.

A man wearing glasses and a blue turtleneck holds a globe patterned like a soccer ball, with stadium and physics equations in the background and text above stating Science of Soccer.

Photo and labeled diagram of the Trionda soccer ball used in FIFA 2026, featuring red, blue, and green panels for host countries, four aerodynamic panels, a motion sensor chip, and counterweights for balance.

Diagram of a football penalty kick showing a ball on the penalty spot, a yellow aiming line toward the center of the goal, and a simplified goalkeeper standing in front of the net.

English footballer David Beckham

Football star Lionel Messi, December 2022

Why Does a Football Swerve?: References & Edit History

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Article Contributors

Primary Contributors

Kara Rogers
Kara Rogers is the senior editor of biomedical sciences at Encyclopædia Britannica, where she oversees a range of content from medicine and genetics to microorganisms. She joined Britannica in 2006 and has been a member of the National Association of Science Writers since 2009.

Other Encyclopedia Britannica Contributors

Article History

Type	Description	Contributor	Date
	Media added.	Tushaar Kuthiala	Jul 01, 2026
	Added media.	Rick Livingston	Jun 22, 2026
	Video added.	Tushaar Kuthiala	Jun 05, 2026
	Added media.	Rick Livingston	Jun 03, 2026
	New article added.	Kara Rogers	Jun 02, 2026