The captain of a football (soccer) team is mentioned in the Laws of the Game purely in connection with the toss of the coin prior to kick-off for choice of ends and to determine who kicks off. He is usually identified by the wearing of an armband.

The captain is also almost always seen to be the on-pitch leader of his team. In grass-roots football, the captain often takes on duties that would at a higher level be delegated to the manager. He generally provides a rallying point for the team: if morale is low, it is the captain who will be looked to to gee up his side.

It is a common misconception that the captain has some sort of special status in the Laws of the Game. This is untrue: his only official function is to participate in the coin toss. Nevertheless, it is often widely believed that the captain has an immunity from the law on dissent to allow him to question the decisions of the officials, similar to in ice hockey. This is, however, not true. Referees will sometimes talk to the captain of a side about the side's general behaviour, but this varies depending on the officiating style of the referee.