How Gaelic football scoring works
Gaelic football is scored in goals and points, and the scoreline keeps them apart, which is why a newcomer can see 1-12 against 0-16 and not know who is winning. The 2025 rules added a 2-point score from long range, which makes the points column harder still to add up in your head.
Goals and points
A goal is scored when the ball crosses the goal line between the posts and under the crossbar, and it is worth three points. A point is scored when the ball goes over the crossbar between the posts, and it is worth one. A point may be kicked, or fisted or palmed over the bar; a goal cannot be handpassed in (striking the ball in flight is allowed), and nobody scores by carrying the ball over the line.
Reading a scoreline
Scores are written goals-points: 2-10 is two goals and ten points, 16 in total. The total decides the match, so 1-15 (18) beats 3-8 (17) even with fewer goals. Reports often add the total in brackets, which is how Score All shows every score.
The 2-point score
Since 2025 a semicircular arc 40 m from the middle of the goal line marks the 2-point zone. A shot over the bar kicked by a player with at least one foot on or outside the arc, from play, a free or a solo and go, is worth two points, provided no teammate touches it on the way. A point from a 45 stays at one. The two points go into the points column, so a 2-pointer turns 0-8 into 0-10.
Playing time
Normal time is two halves of 30 minutes, with time added for stoppages. Inter-county senior championship and league games are two halves of 35 minutes, and county boards may shorten games for under-15 grades and younger. At inter-county games a public clock and hooter keep the time, and since 2026 the hooter ends the half straight away.
Draws, extra time and a winner on the day
Extra time is two halves of 10 minutes. When a knockout game must have a winner on the day, a game still level after extra time goes to a penalty shoot-out: each team takes five penalties, goals only, then sudden death if they are still level. All-Ireland senior finals play extra time and go to a replay if it is still level.
Cards and the sin bin
A yellow card is a caution, a black card sends the player to the sin bin for ten minutes, and a red card is a sending-off. None of them changes the score, so a counter per team is enough.
The 2026 trial rules
Third-level football is trialling more changes from October 2026, among them a goal worth four points, two points for a sideline kick over the bar and no fisted points except from a ball in flight. They are not in the main rules; the four-point goal is a setting here for anyone playing them.
What Score All does with these rules
Goals, points and the scoreline
A goal (into the net, under the crossbar) is worth 3 points and a point (over the bar) is worth 1. Scores are written goals first: 1-12 is one goal and twelve points, 15 in total, and the higher total wins, so 0-16 beats 2-9. Score All shows both counts and the total, 1-12 (15), on the console, the scoreboard link, the TV and the overlay.
The 2-point score (2025 rules)
A point kicked from on or outside the 40 m arc, from play or a free, is worth 2, and it is written into the points column as 2: six one-pointers and two 2-pointers make 0-10. A 45 is still worth 1. The 2-pt button does this for you; turn it off for the pre-2025 game.
Halves and the clock
Club games are two 30-minute halves and inter-county senior games two 35-minute halves; county boards set shorter halves for under-age grades. The clock counts up, like the stadium clock, and runs on the server, so a locked phone loses no time. Pause it for stoppages and end the half on the hooter or the final whistle.
Draws, extra time and penalties
A league game can end level. In a knockout, a draw goes to two 10-minute halves of extra time, and if it is still level, to a penalty shoot-out: five penalties each, goals only, then sudden death. Each of those is a setting, and the console takes you through them in order.
Cards
Yellow, black (ten minutes in the sin bin) and red cards are counted per team. They never change the score, but they belong on the record.
Gaelic football scoring FAQ
Who wins, 1-12 or 0-16?
0-16. The first scoreline is 15 points (one goal at three, plus twelve) and the second is 16. The total always decides it.
Is a 45 worth two points?
No. A point from a 45 is worth one, even though the kick is taken from outside the arc.
Why is a 2-pointer written in the points column?
Because the scoreline only has goals and points. A 2-pointer adds two to the points, so the total is still goals times three plus points.
What is the 40 m arc?
A semicircle 40 m from the middle of the goal line, added in 2025. Score over the bar from on or outside it and the score is worth two.
How do you read a GAA score like 1-12?
Goals first, then points: 1-12 is one goal and twelve points. A goal is worth three, so the total is 15. Score All prints the total beside the score, 1-12 (15), so nobody has to add it up.
How much is a goal worth in Gaelic football?
Three points. A goal is the ball in the net under the crossbar; a point is over the bar between the posts. A trial in third-level football from October 2026 makes a goal worth four, and that is a setting too.
How does the 2-point score work?
Since 2025, a point kicked from on or outside the 40 m arc is worth two and goes into the points column as two. A 45 is still one. Tap 2-pt and the app adds two to the points and the total.
How long is a Gaelic football match?
Two 30-minute halves at club level and two 35-minute halves in inter-county senior games, with shorter halves for younger grades. Extra time is two halves of 10 minutes.
Does it work for ladies football?
Yes. Ladies football scores the same way, with two 30-minute halves and the 2-point arc adopted in 2026, and it has its own preset.