Subbuteo is a set of board games simulating team sports such as football, cricket, both codes of Rugby and hockey, although many people associate the name Subbuteo exclusively with the football version. The name comes from Falco subbuteo, a bird of prey commonly known as the Eurasian Hobby, after a patent was not granted to its creator Peter Adolph to call the game The Hobby.

Subbuteo is a physical simulation of the sport, involving dexterity and skill in flicking the playing pieces, which stand on weighted bases, across the tabletop mat towards the ball. Note that the ball is in fact hugely out of scale in comparison to the figures for ease of use. In fact, the Subbuteo football stands almost as tall as the players!

What makes the game different from most other tabletop sports games are the hundreds of team kits and accessories. While most games feature only two teams (usually "red vs blue" or "white vs black"), Subbuteo has several team designs, all for real teams. While some of them could obviously be used by different teams, there are several unique kits, such as Sampdoria or Soviet Union, and even unpainted models. There are also many additional accessories, such as new balls and goals, special figures for free kicks and throw-ins, stands and crowd, streakers and policemen, floodlights, and TV cameras.

Given the number of specialised components and optional accessories, Subbuteo can be expensive for a hobby, but not as much as other tabletop games like Warhammer Fantasy Battle. Some enthusiasts collect accessories, and older sets can achieve high prices. "Swap meets" are held as an inexpensive means for enthusiasts to improve their collections.

Subbuteo also has a long-established competitive circuit, where it is known by the term sports table football. There is a world governing body, FISTF, and a World Championship every year.


Football
The rules of Subbuteo table football correspond quite closely with the sport itself. Players maintain possession as long as the figure they flick makes contact with the ball and the ball does does not subsequently hit an opposing figure, although the same figure cannot be used for more than 3 consecutive flicks. Shots at goal can be taken once the ball is over the 'shooting line', a line parallel to and equidistant between the goal line and half-way line. Goalkeeper figures are attached to a rod that fits underneath the back of the goal.