Soccer Ball Template
Print a paper soccer ball: the classic pattern of 12 pentagons and 20 hexagons, the truncated icosahedron, as a flat net to cut, fold and glue. Set the size across the corners, by the circumference or by the edge length, and the tool unfolds the exact solid, adds a glue tab to one side of every joint and numbers both sides so you know what goes where. Small balls print on one sheet; bigger ones are split into pieces that each fit US Letter or A4 at real size. Print it dark-and-white, as an outline to colour in, or in your own two colours, and download a PDF, PNG or a real-size SVG for a cutter. The match-ball size row uses the circumference range in Law 2 of the Laws of the Game (2026/27) by The IFAB (Not affiliated with The IFAB). Nothing is uploaded.
100% private — everything runs in your browser. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
Print at 100% (Actual size) on card. Cut on the solid lines, fold every dashed line, then glue each tab under the edge with the same number. Big balls come in several pieces: join them the same way, number to number.
Ball
Look
Page
Runs in your browser with our own code: nothing you type is uploaded or saved. The net is unfolded from the exact solid (12 pentagons, 20 hexagons, 90 edges) by our own code. You may use what you make here, including commercially, with no credit needed.
How to make a paper soccer ball
- Pick a preset, or choose how to set the size (across the corners, circumference or edge) and type it.
- Choose the colours: dark pentagons, an outline to colour in, or your own two colours.
- Keep the glue tabs and edge numbers on (or turn tabs off to tape the edges instead).
- Choose Real size (split into pieces that fit the sheet) or the whole net fitted to one page.
- Download the PDF, print at 100% (Actual size) on card, cut on the solid lines, fold every dashed line and glue each tab under the edge with the same number.
What you can use it for
- Paper soccer balls for parties, classrooms and team decorations
- Maths lessons on polyhedra, Euler’s formula and nets
- Ornaments and gift toppers
- Card models and dioramas
- Cutting machines and laser cutters (real-size SVG)
- Colouring-in craft for kids (outline version)
The 14 presets
| Preset | Across the corners | Edge | Pieces on Letter | Pieces on A4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic ball, 8 cm across the corners (one sheet) | 80 mm | 16.1 mm | 2 | 2 |
| Ornament ball, 6 cm across | 60 mm | 12.1 mm | 1 | 1 |
| Desk ball, 10 cm across | 100 mm | 20.2 mm | 4 | 4 |
| Ball 4 in across the corners | 4 in | 0.81 in | 4 | 4 |
| Big ball, 20 cm across (several sheets) | 200 mm | 40.4 mm | 9 | 9 |
| Match-ball circumference 69 cm (Law 2 range 68 to 70 cm), several sheets | 219.6 mm | 44.3 mm | 10 | 10 |
| Edge 2 cm | 99.1 mm | 20 mm | 4 | 4 |
| Edge 1 in | 4.96 in | 1 in | 5 | 5 |
| Outline to colour in, fitted to one page | 150 mm | 30.3 mm | fitted | fitted |
| Red pentagons, white hexagons, 10 cm | 100 mm | 20.2 mm | 4 | 4 |
| Navy pentagons, gold hexagons, 10 cm | 100 mm | 20.2 mm | 4 | 4 |
| No glue tabs (tape the edges), 10 cm | 100 mm | 20.2 mm | 3 | 2 |
| Plain, no edge numbers, 8 cm | 80 mm | 16.1 mm | 2 | 2 |
| Whole net fitted to one page (diagram) | 148.7 mm | 30 mm | fitted | fitted |
Every value is worked out by the tool. Pieces are what the net splits into at real size, one piece per sheet.
Ball size, edge and sheets
| Across the corners | Edge | Across two hexagons | Circumference (sphere through the corners) | Pieces on Letter | Pieces on A4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 cm | 10.1 mm | 4.6 cm | 15.7 cm | 1 | 1 |
| 6 cm | 12.1 mm | 5.5 cm | 18.8 cm | 1 | 1 |
| 8 cm | 16.1 mm | 7.3 cm | 25.1 cm | 2 | 2 |
| 10 cm | 20.2 mm | 9.1 cm | 31.4 cm | 4 | 4 |
| 12 cm | 24.2 mm | 11.0 cm | 37.7 cm | 5 | 5 |
| 15 cm | 30.3 mm | 13.7 cm | 47.1 cm | 5 | 5 |
| 20 cm | 40.4 mm | 18.3 cm | 62.8 cm | 9 | 9 |
| 25 cm | 50.4 mm | 22.9 cm | 78.5 cm | 18 | 18 |
| 30 cm | 60.5 mm | 27.4 cm | 94.2 cm | 18 | 18 |
Across two hexagons is the flat-to-flat size of the paper model, so it is a little less than the corner-to-corner size.
Match-ball circumference (Law 2)
| Circumference | Edge | Across the corners | Across two hexagons | Pieces on Letter | Pieces on A4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 68 cm | 43.7 mm | 21.6 cm | 19.8 cm | 10 | 10 |
| 69 cm | 44.3 mm | 22.0 cm | 20.1 cm | 10 | 10 |
| 70 cm | 45 mm | 22.3 cm | 20.4 cm | 10 | 10 |
Circumference range from Law 2 of the Laws of the Game 2026/27 (The IFAB), read 12 November 2026: between 68 cm (27 ins) and 70 cm (28 ins). Not affiliated with The IFAB. The tool matches the sphere through the model’s corners to the circumference.
The solid in numbers
| Part | Value |
|---|---|
| Faces | 12 regular pentagons + 20 regular hexagons = 32 |
| Edges | 90 (all the same length) |
| Corners | 60 (one pentagon and two hexagons at each) |
| Euler’s formula | V − E + F = 60 − 90 + 32 = 2 |
| Centre to a corner | 2.4780 × edge (= √(58 + 18√5) / 4) |
| Centre to the middle of an edge | 2.4271 × edge |
| Centre to a hexagon | 2.2673 × edge |
| Centre to a pentagon | 2.3274 × edge |
| One-piece net | 31 folds + 59 numbered pairs to glue = 90 edges |
Worked out from the coordinates of the solid and checked by our tests.
What prints
| Download | What is in it |
|---|---|
| One piece per sheet at real size (or the whole net fitted to one page), tabs, dashed folds, edge numbers and a check bar | |
| PNG 300 DPI | The same sheets as pictures (a ZIP when there is more than one) |
| SVG (real size) | Every piece side by side: faces, tabs, folds and cuts in separate groups |
For a cutter that needs DXF, use SVG to DXF.
Which tool to use
| You want | Use |
|---|---|
| A paper soccer ball (truncated icosahedron) | Soccer Ball Template (this page) |
| Nets of cubes, prisms, pyramids and Platonic solids | 3D Shape Nets |
| A cube with photos or dice spots | Cube Template |
| A box with a lid or tuck flaps | Box Template |
| Soccer pictures to colour | Soccer Coloring Pages |
Other nets and boxes: 3D Shape Nets (including the icosahedron), the Cube Template and the Box Template.
More free tools
Templates, nets and shapes to print?
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Frequently asked questions
What shape is a soccer ball template?
A truncated icosahedron: 12 regular pentagons and 20 regular hexagons with 90 edges and 60 corners, every edge the same length. The familiar ball pattern uses the same arrangement of pentagons and hexagons, with the pentagons dark and the hexagons white.
How big will my ball be?
The tool sizes the model by the sphere through its corners. Across the corners it measures 2.4780 × 2 times the edge, so an edge of 20.2 mm gives a ball 100 mm across. A paper model has flat faces, so across two opposite hexagons it is a little smaller (91.5 mm for that ball); the tool shows both.
How do I put it together?
Print on card at 100%. Cut along the solid lines only, fold every dashed line so the printed side stays on the outside, then glue each grey tab under the edge that carries the same number. Close the last few edges from the inside with a pencil or tweezers.
Why is my ball in several pieces?
At real size a big net does not fit on one sheet, so the tool cuts it into pieces that do. Each cut joint is numbered on both pieces like every other glued edge. A 10 cm ball needs 4 pieces on US Letter; the size table below lists others.
Is the net checked?
Yes. Our tests unfold the exact solid and check that every flat face matches its face on the solid, that no two faces overlap, that all 90 edges are used exactly once (as a fold or as a numbered pair to glue), and that V − E + F = 60 − 90 + 32 = 2. On the printed PDF every edge is the same length to within 0.2 mm.
Can I make a ball the size of a real match ball?
Law 2 of the Laws of the Game (2026/27) sets a circumference between 68 cm (27 ins) and 70 cm (28 ins). Choose Circumference and type a value in that range: the tool sizes the sphere through the model’s corners to it and splits the net into pieces. A paper model is not inflated or round, so treat it as a decoration.
Can I print it without glue tabs?
Yes. Untick Glue tabs to get the plain net; join the numbered edges with tape instead.
Can I colour it in?
Yes. Choose Outline only for white faces with black lines, or pick your own two colours for the pentagons and the hexagons.
Can I use it with a cutting machine?
Yes. The SVG holds every piece at real size, with faces, tabs, fold lines (dashed) and cut lines in separate groups. For a program that wants DXF, convert the SVG with our SVG to DXF tool.
Is it free?
Yes. There is no sign-up, no watermark and no limit.
Is anything uploaded?
No. Every line and number is worked out by JavaScript in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere or saved when you close the page.