Editing Touchback (section)

==American football==
In standard outdoor [[American football]], the team awarded the touchback receives possession of the ball at either its own 20-yard line, 25-yard line, or 35-yard line, depending on the specific type of play. The spot is the 25-yard line in college football on kickoffs and free kicks after a safety, as well as free kicks after a safety in the NFL, with the NCAA having changed from the 20 in [[2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season|2012]] and the NFL making the same change in {{NFL year|2018}}. The NCAA made a further rule change effective in its [[2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season|2018 season]], treating a fair catch on a kickoff, or free kick following a safety, between the receiving team's goal line and 25-yard line as a touchback. The NFL adopted this later change in {{NFL year|2023}}, and changed its spot for touchbacks on kickoffs that enter the end zone on the fly or sail over it to the 30-yard line in {{NFL year|2024}} and the 35-yard line in {{NFL year|2025}}. All other touchback situations in both rule sets result in possession at the 20.

In [[high school football]], all touchbacks are spotted on the 20 except in Texas, which bases its high school rules on the NCAA rule set.

In the second XFL, the placement of the ball on a touchback depended on the circumstances:
* On kickoffs (including free kicks after a safety), if the ball entered the end zone on the fly and is downed by the receiving team, a "major touchback" was awarded, and the ball was spotted on the receiving team's 35. A kick that bounced into the end zone and was downed there by the receiving team resulted in the ball being spotted on the receiving team's 15.
* Similarly, a punt that went into the end zone was treated as a major touchback, with the ball spotted on the 35.
* Touchbacks awarded on other scrimmage plays resulted in the ball being spotted on the awarded team's own 20.

In [[arena football]], and other [[indoor American football|indoor football]] games, a touchback results in the team awarded the touchback receiving the football at its own 3-yard line. This can result from any of the above events except for punting, which is not a part of arena football. (In arena football, a kicked ball usually bounces back into play off of the rebound nets, but the above can still occur when the ball lands in the slack nets behind the goalposts after a kickoff, passes under the rebound nets and out of play, or in the event of fumbles and interceptions.)

If a defensive player gains possession of the ball during a play between his own five-yard line and goal line and the player's original momentum carries him into the end zone, there is no touchback. Instead, the ball is dead at the point where possession changed.  In the [[National Football League]], this rule applies regardless of whether possession is gained inside the five-yard line. {{as of|2022}} [[Shane Lechler]] is the all-time leader in NFL career punts resulting in a touchback, with 178.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.footballdb.com/leaders/career-punting-touchbacks|title=NFL Career Leaders - Punting Touchbacks|publisher=The Football Database|accessdate=August 27, 2022}}</ref>