Football Darts

What is football darts?

Football dartstakes the classic 501 darts scoring system and swaps the arrows for footballers. Instead of throwing three darts, you name a footballer, and their career statistic — goals, appearances, caps, whatever the round's metric is — comes off your score. You start on 501 and race down towards a checkout at zero. Because it borrows the professional darts count, the format is widely known as football 501.

The term has meant a few different things over the years — a pub argument settled with a dartboard, a giant inflatable velcro arena at a party, and now a digital trivia game you play in your browser. Our history of football darts traces how those three eras connect. This page is about the online version: 501FC.

How to play football darts

The core loop is quick to learn and hard to master:

1. Start on 501. Every game opens on 501, a nod to the standard darts format.
2. Read the category and metric.The category decides which players are eligible (say, "Premier League" or "Brazil internationals") and the metric decides which number counts (goals, appearances, and so on).
3. Name a footballer. Their stat for the metric is your dart score and is subtracted from your total. Name a striker worth 84 goals and 84 comes off.
4. Respect darts rules. A stat only counts if it is a legal score of 1 to 180 and not a bogey number. Overshoot below -10 and you go bust.
5. Check out to win. Land your total between 0 and -10 and the leg is yours.

For the exact scoring, the bust rule and the checkout window, read the step-by-step How to Play guide or the full football 501 rules.

Ways to play football darts online

501FC supports every common way to play a football darts game, all free and in the browser:

• Daily challenge. One shared category per day, the same for everyone, with a global leaderboard and a shareable result. The quickest way in and the most social.
• Local pass-and-play. Take turns on a single device — ideal at the pub or on the sofa.
• Online multiplayer. Create a game, send the link, and play a friend live in real time. No account or download required.

Explore the all-time football stats

Every dart in football darts is a real career number, so the game doubles as a tour of football's record books. Browse the all-time leaderboards to see who tops the charts — the Premier League goalscorers, the appearance leaders, and the top international goalscorers — then put them to work as your biggest darts.

Learn more about football darts

Go deeper with the 501FC guides:

• Football Darts Game Online: How to Play Football 501 — the beginner's overview.
• Mastering the 501FC Checkout — phase-by-phase strategy for a clean finish.
• The Best Free Football Trivia Games — where football darts sits alongside the rest of the genre.

Football darts FAQ

What is football darts?

Football darts is a game that combines the scoring of 501 darts with football knowledge. Instead of throwing darts, you name footballers, and their career statistics — such as goals or appearances — are subtracted from your score. You start on 501 and race to check out at zero.

How do you play football darts online?

In the online football darts game 501FC you start on 501 and name an eligible footballer each turn. Their stat for the round's metric comes off your total, following darts rules — scores must be 1 to 180 and not a bogey number. Land between 0 and -10 to check out and win. It is free and runs in your browser with no download.

Is football darts free to play?

Yes. 501FC is a free football darts game you can play in any browser with no download and no account required for the daily challenge. An account only becomes useful if you want to keep a streak and track your stats.

Why is the football darts game called football 501?

It is called football 501 because, like the standard professional darts format, every game starts on a score of 501 that you count down to zero — only here your darts are footballers' career stats rather than thrown arrows.