What Are the Rules of Football? A Beginner's Guide

The rules of football are the shared framework for the field, players, timing, goals, fouls and restarts that help everyone follow a match. The IFAB issues 17 Laws of the Game; in a standard 11-a-side match, each team has no more than 11 players, the match normally has two 45-minute halves, and the team with more goals wins. If a competition needs a winner after a draw, its regulations may provide for extra time and a penalty shoot-out after the match.

Reference version: This guide explains 11-a-side football under The IFAB's Laws of the Game 2026/27, checked on 1 September 2026. Organisational details such as substitutions, VAR use and how a competition decides a winner can depend on the regulations of that competition.

Who makes the Laws of the Game?

The IFAB is the body that issues and amends the Laws of the Game. FIFA is one of The IFAB's members and requires FIFA members to play association football in accordance with those Laws. The accurate distinction is therefore that FIFA competitions apply The IFAB's Laws; FIFA does not create a separate set of 17 football laws.

The 17 Laws provide a common framework around the world. Competition organisers may be allowed to adjust certain organisational details within the limits set by The IFAB, especially for youth, veterans, disability, grassroots or particular competitions. The competition regulations remain the right place to check questions about the number of substitutions, extra time, a shoot-out or the technology being used.

What do the 17 Laws cover?

Before kick-off: the field, ball, players and equipment

The field and the ball

The field of play is a rectangle. The two longer boundaries are the touchlines and the two shorter boundaries are the goal lines. The penalty area, goal area, goal and corner area provide the reference points for many decisions during the match.

The ball must be spherical and meet the limits in Law 2. For a standard ball, the circumference is 68–70 cm, its weight at the start of the match is 410–450 g, and its pressure at sea level is 0.6–1.1 atm. In international matches organised by FIFA or a confederation, the ball also has to meet the relevant FIFA Quality Programme requirements.

How many players are on a team?

Each team has no more than 11 players, and one of them must be the goalkeeper. A match cannot start or continue if a team has fewer than seven players, except when the shortage is temporary because of a temporary dismissal or a one-minute period off the field under a protocol permitted by Law 3.

In official competitions, the regulations state how many substitutes may be named, how many may be used and how many substitution opportunities are available within Law 3; the usual limit is five substitutes used. Other matches, including some senior A international team friendlies, have separate limits, so not every match uses the same numbers or the same extra-time arrangements.

Safe equipment

The compulsory equipment includes a shirt with sleeves, shorts, socks, shinguards and footwear. A player must not use dangerous equipment. Under the 2026/27 changes, some accessories may be permitted when they are not dangerous and are safely and securely covered; dangerous items still have to be removed. For an individual match, the referee and the competition regulations decide how a particular equipment issue is handled.

The referee, time and the start of play

Who controls the match?

The referee has full authority to enforce the Laws during the match and decides the match events that fall within the Laws. Assistant referees, the fourth official, VAR and AVAR may assist within their roles, but the final decision remains with the referee.

How long is a football match?

A standard match has two equal halves of 45 minutes. The half-time interval must not exceed 15 minutes. At the end of each half, the referee adds time for substitutions, injuries, time-wasting, disciplinary sanctions, VAR checks and reviews, goal celebrations and other stoppages.

Do not treat added time and extra time as the same thing. Added time is played at the end of each regular half to restore time lost during that half. Extra time starts after the regular match has ended, and only appears when the competition regulations require a winner. The guide to added time and extra time explains that distinction in detail; this guide only places each term in the match timeline.

Kick-off and restarts

A kick-off starts each regular half and each period of extra time, and restarts play after a goal. When the referee stops play and the Laws do not specify another restart, play can resume with a dropped ball. The ball is out of play when the whole ball crosses a touchline or goal line, when the referee stops play, or in a specific match-official contact situation covered by Law 9.

Goals, scores and deciding a winner

A goal is scored when the whole ball passes over the goal line, between the goalposts and under the crossbar, with no offence by the team that scored. The team with more goals wins. If the scores are level, or neither team scores, the result is a draw unless the competition regulations require a winner.

When a winner is required, the competition regulations may provide for two equal periods of extra time, each no longer than 15 minutes, followed by a penalty shoot-out or another permitted procedure. A penalty kick during the match is a restart after a direct-free-kick offence inside the penalty area. A penalty shoot-out takes place after the match to decide the winner. The guide to penalty kicks and penalty shoot-outs covers the detailed procedure, so this guide does not repeat the goalkeeper position, the order of kicks or two-touch examples.

Decisions new viewers see most often

Offside is more than standing behind a defender

At the moment a teammate plays or touches the ball, a player may be in an offside position when a qualifying part of the head, body or feet is in the opponents' half and nearer to the opponents' goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent. That position is not automatically an offence; the player must also become involved in active play. Read a plain-language offside explainer for the reference point, active-play test and exceptions. This guide keeps only the overview so it does not reproduce the detailed examples on that page.

Fouls and two kinds of free kick

Actions such as pushing, kicking, holding, tackling or charging can lead to a direct free kick when the referee decides that an offence occurred. A careless offence carries no disciplinary sanction; a reckless offence requires a caution; using excessive force or endangering an opponent's safety requires a sending-off. A touch of the hand or arm is not automatically a handball offence; Law 12 requires the relevant conditions to be assessed.

A direct free kick can score directly in the opponents' goal. An indirect free kick needs the ball to touch another player before it enters the opponents' goal, and the referee normally signals it by raising an arm. Offside also leads to an indirect free kick, but it is different from a penalty kick.

For a separate explanation of cautions, sendings-off and a second caution in the same match, see football yellow and red card rules. This guide only shows where Law 12 fits into the wider flow of a match.

Throw-ins, goal kicks and corner kicks

Start by identifying which line the ball crossed and who touched it last:

Under the 2026/27 changes, the referee may begin a visible five-second countdown when a team deliberately delays a throw-in or goal kick. If time expires, a delayed throw-in is awarded to the opponents, while a delayed goal kick becomes a corner kick for the opponents. The countdown starts only after the referee identifies deliberate delay, so it does not apply automatically to every slow restart.

VAR and other referee technology

VAR is not a replacement for the referee and does not check every challenge. When a competition meets the implementation requirements and has written permission from FIFA, VAR assists with four generally applicable categories: goal/no goal, penalty/no penalty, red card, and mistaken identity. Under the 2026/27 protocol, the red-card category includes a clearly incorrect second caution that results in a red card. The threshold is a clear and obvious error or a serious missed incident. Only the referee initiates a review, and the final decision remains with the referee.

A fifth category is a competition option: VAR may correct a clearly wrongly awarded corner kick if this can be done immediately without delaying the restart; once the corner is taken quickly, the decision cannot be changed. The guide to what VAR is and when the referee reviews it separates VAR from goal-line technology and semi-automated offside technology. These tools have different jobs and should not all be called VAR.

A 60-second checklist for following a decision

1. Where is the ball? Decide whether it is still in play or has completely crossed a boundary.
2. Who touched it last? This usually determines a throw-in, goal kick or corner kick.
3. Why did the referee stop play? Separate an offence, offside, the ball going out and another reason for a stoppage.
4. Which restart is it? A direct free kick can score directly; an indirect free kick needs another touch; a penalty kick is a special in-match restart.
5. Is there a card? Not every offence carries a card; careless, reckless and excessive-force assessments affect discipline.
6. Has the match ended? Extra time and a shoot-out depend on the competition regulations and are not part of every match.
7. Is technology involved? VAR has a limited remit and the referee retains the final decision.

Frequently asked questions about football rules

How many laws are there in football?

The IFAB divides the Laws of the Game into 17 Laws, covering the field and ball, players, match procedure, goals, offside, fouls and the different restarts.

How many players are on a football team?

A team has no more than 11 players and must have a goalkeeper. If it has fewer than seven players, the match cannot start or continue, subject to the exceptions and competition rules that apply to the match.

How long does a football match last?

The standard is two 45-minute halves, a half-time interval of no more than 15 minutes, and added time for stoppages. Extra time is used only when the competition regulations require a winner.

Is a player offside whenever they are behind the last defender?

No. The referee checks the position at the moment a teammate plays the ball, compares the relevant body part with the ball and the second-last opponent, and then decides whether the player became involved in active play.

Is added time the same as extra time?

No. Added time restores time lost at the end of a regular half. Extra time is played after the regular match and only when the competition needs a winner.

Is a penalty kick the same as a penalty shoot-out?

No. A penalty kick is an in-match restart after a direct-free-kick offence inside the penalty area. A penalty shoot-out takes place after the match to decide the winner under the competition regulations.

Is every handball a foul?

No. The referee must assess whether the player deliberately played the ball with the hand or arm, whether the player made their body unnaturally bigger and the other conditions in Law 12. Seeing the ball touch an arm is not enough by itself to prove a penalty.

Is VAR used in every match?

No. A competition must meet the implementation requirements and obtain the required written permission from FIFA. Even with VAR, the system covers only the categories in the protocol, and the referee makes the final decision.

For more beginner-friendly football explainers, visit the KBVN+ football section.