Editing Touchdown (section)

{{short description|Means of scoring in both American and Canadian football}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{other uses}}
[[File:Touchdown -- Texas High School vs Highland Park High School first-round playoffs.jpg|thumb|300px|A player from [[Texas High School]] crosses the goal line with the ball during a game against [[Highland Park High School (University Park, Texas)|Highland Park High School]] to score a rushing touchdown worth six points.]]
[[File:Vince Young scores a touchdown in the 2005 Big 12 Championship Game.JPG|right|thumb|300px|[[Vince Young]] of the [[Texas Longhorns football|Texas Longhorns]] (ball carrier in top center) rushing for a touchdown. A portion of the [[end zone]] is seen as the dark strip at the bottom. The vertical yellow bar is part of the [[end zone|goal post]].]]

A '''touchdown''' (abbreviated as '''TD'''<ref>See for example {{cite web |url= https://www.nfl.com/videos/every-td-from-every-game-week-1 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210309162528/https://www.nfl.com/videos/every-td-from-every-game-week-1 |url-status= dead |archive-date= March 9, 2021 |title= Every TD from Every Game {{!}} Week 1 |work= [[NFL.com]] }}</ref>) is a scoring play in [[gridiron football]]. Scoring a touchdown   grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether [[Rush (gridiron football)|running]], [[Forward pass|passing]], returning a [[Kickoff (gridiron football)|kickoff]] or [[Punt (gridiron football)|punt]], or recovering a [[Turnover (gridiron football)|turnover]], a team scores a touchdown by advancing the [[Ball (gridiron football)|football]] into the opponent's [[end zone]]. More specifically, a touchdown is when a player is in possession of the ball, any part of the ball is in the end zone they are attacking, and the player is not [[Down (gridiron football)|down]].

Because of the speed at which football happens, it is often hard for an [[Official (gridiron football)|official]] to make the correct call based on their vantage point alone. Most professional football leagues, such as the [[National Football League]] (NFL) and the [[Canadian Football League]] (CFL), as well as some college leagues, such as the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association]] (NCAA), allow certain types of plays to be reviewed. Among these plays are touchdowns, as well as all other scoring plays, dangerous or unsportsmanlike conduct by players or staff, out-of-bounds calls, the place on the field where the official spots the ball after a play, and turnovers. Coaches can also challenge calls, provided they are made during a play eligible to be reviewed; the only exception is during periods of the game where coaches' challenges are restricted, such as the last two minutes of each half. The NFL and CFL review all scoring plays and turnovers regardless of whether the call was questionable, and therefore do not allow coaches to challenge those plays, either. The NCAA allows [[NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision|Division I FBS]] teams to review plays throughout the regular season and postseason, while [[NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision|Division I FCS]] teams can only use it during the playoffs, [[NCAA Division II|Division II]] teams only during the quarterfinals, semifinals, and [[NCAA Division II Football Championship|championship game]], and [[NCAA Division III|Division III]] teams only during the semifinals and [[NCAA Division III Football Championship|championship game]].<ref>"[https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/championships/sports/football/d3/2021-22_D3MFB_NCAAInstantReplayManual.pdf NCAA All Divisions Football Instant Replay Coaches Manual]", National Collegiate Athletic Association.</ref>

In [[American football]] and [[Canadian football]], a touchdown is worth six points and is followed by an [[Conversion (gridiron football)|extra point]] or [[two-point conversion]] attempt.