Football Rules Explained: A Complete Guide to Soccer

Football, or soccer, is played by two teams of up to 11 players who try to send the whole ball over the goal line, between the posts and under the bar. A match is two 45-minute halves plus added time, and the International Football Association Board (IFAB) sets the 17 Laws of the Game.

One warning first. Searches for "football rules" often return American gridiron pages full of quarters and downs. None of that applies here. This guide covers association football, the game played from the Premier League to the World Cup.

What is football (soccer) and how do you win?

You win by scoring more goals than the other side. A goal counts only when the whole ball has crossed the whole goal line, between the goalposts and under the crossbar. It does not matter whether the ball is kicked, headed or deflected, provided no attacking offence has happened first.

There is no turn limit on possession. Play flows until the ball leaves the pitch or the referee stops it for an offence.

In league football, a win usually earns 3 points, a draw 1 and a defeat 0, and those points build the league table. If any of the vocabulary here is new, a plain-English glossary of football terms will help.

Who makes the rules of football?

The Laws of the Game are set by the International Football Association Board, known as IFAB. National bodies such as The FA then apply them in England. The Laws apply at every level, though some details are adjusted for youth, veteran or amateur football.

There are 17 main Laws. They cover the field of play, the ball, players, equipment, the referee, other match officials (including VAR), the duration of the match, starts and restarts, the ball in and out of play, and how the outcome is determined. The rest cover offside, fouls and misconduct, free kicks, penalty kicks, throw-ins, goal kicks and corners.

The Laws are not frozen. IFAB reviews them each year and publishes changes ahead of the new season. Recent topics have included goalkeeper time-wasting, dropped balls, VAR communication and penalty procedures. Competitions can also modify match length, substitutions, video review and extra time, so the same Law can look slightly different from one tournament to the next.

How many players are on a team, and how long is a match?

Each team usually has 11 players on the pitch, one of them the goalkeeper, with substitutes on the bench. Seven is the standard minimum a team needs to continue, and the competition decides what happens after an abandoned match. The number of substitutions allowed varies by competition, so check the rules of the tournament you are watching.

A standard match lasts 90 minutes, in two 45-minute halves, with half-time usually around 15 minutes. Added time covers injuries, substitutions, goal celebrations, VAR checks and delays. The figure shown on the board is a minimum, so the referee can play on for longer.

Knockout matches that are level after 90 minutes can go to extra time, usually 30 minutes in two 15-minute halves. If it is still level, a penalty shootout may follow. Cup rules differ, and competitions can change these details.

What is offside, and what separates a yellow card from a red?

A player is in an offside position if they are nearer the opponent's goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent at the moment the ball is played. That alone is not an offence. The player must also become involved in active play: touching the ball, interfering with an opponent, blocking a line of vision, challenging for the ball or gaining an advantage. There is no offside from a throw-in, a corner or a goal kick, or when a player is level with the second-last defender. For the full picture, including how VAR has changed the call, read our offside guide.

Cards are the referee's way of punishing foul play and misconduct. A yellow card covers reckless fouls, stopping promising attacks, delaying restarts, dissent, repeated fouling, simulation and other unsporting behaviour. Two yellows in one match bring a red card.

A straight red is for serious foul play, violent conduct, denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity, spitting or offensive language.

How does a referee decide a call?

Plenty of decisions are judgement calls rather than yes-or-no facts. On handball, referees weigh arm position, whether the body has been made unnaturally bigger, movement towards the ball and the context. Not every arm contact is handball. Advantage is another judgement: play continues after a foul if the fouled team benefits, but playing on does not cancel the foul.

Some situations are commonly disputed. These include an offside attacker interfering with the goalkeeper, a denied goal-scoring opportunity that might merit only a yellow, and handball after a deflection. A raised arm can lead to an indirect free kick, and a goalkeeper who holds the ball too long can concede a corner under the eight-second rule. For whether the ball has crossed the line, see how goal-line technology works.

Restarts follow a simple pattern. The ball crossing the touchline brings a throw-in to the team that did not touch it last. A corner is given when a defender last touched the ball before it crossed their own goal line. A goal kick is given when an attacker did. To test how quickly you read these moments, try our Freeze Frame game.

Where to read the rules next

The full IFAB text of the Laws of the Game is the authoritative reference for official matches. FIFA and UEFA also publish refereeing material, which you can check against the IFAB wording whenever a ruling surprises you.

The rules explain what happens on the pitch, but not how teams set up within them. For that, read our guide to formations.