Home (sports)

Home is a team’s own venue or the side playing there. The home designation distinguishes it from the visiting team and can affect venue arrangements and competitive conditions.

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Home advantage: The tendency for a team to perform better at its own venue than away. It describes the performance edge often associated with playing at home.
Home stadium: A stadium regularly used by a sports team for its home contests. It is the physical venue most commonly identified as a team’s home.
Referee bias: Systematic differences in officiating decisions associated with the identity or circumstances of competitors. Crowd pressure and home context are studied as possible influences on officials.
Wembley Stadium: A major stadium in London used for football, rugby, and other events. It serves as England’s home venue while also hosting neutral-site finals.
Away goals rule: A former football tie-break rule that favored goals scored by the visiting team in certain two-legged ties. It gave the away side a special scoring advantage to offset home conditions.
Away team: The team competing at an opponent’s venue rather than its own. It is the opposing side to the team designated home.
Travel fatigue: Reduced physical or mental performance associated with the demands of travel. Visiting teams often face travel burdens that home teams avoid.
Maracanã Stadium: A major football stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It has hosted Brazil’s home matches as well as neutral-site tournaments.
Home-and-away series: A competition format in which opponents meet at each team’s venue. It alternates which team is designated home across multiple contests.
Fixture (sports): A scheduled sports contest between specified teams or competitors. A fixture’s venue and team order establish which side is home.