What it is

The coin toss decides which team makes the first choice at the start of the game. The referee flips the coin at midfield with the captains of both teams, and the visiting team calls it.

In a game

The winner of the toss chooses to receive the first kickoff, kick off, or choose which end to defend. Or it can defer, which means letting the other team choose first now, in exchange for choosing first at the start of the second half.

More detail

Many coaches choose to defer, so they get the ball to start the second half. A new coin toss is held before overtime. Wind can matter in outdoor stadiums, so sometimes the winner picks an end of the field instead.

Animated play

1. Before the game, the referee flips a coin at midfield with a captain from each team. The visiting team calls it while the coin is in the air.
2. The team that wins the toss picks one of four things: receive the first kickoff, kick the first kickoff, choose which end of the field to defend, or defer.
3. If it defers, the other team picks first now, and the team that deferred picks first at the start of the second half.
4. Most teams that win the toss choose to defer, so they get the ball to start the second half. The toss is also used again before overtime.