Soccer Restarts Explained: Throw-ins, Goal Kicks, Corners and the Dropped Ball

Corner kicks (Law 17)

A corner kick is placed in the corner area nearest where the ball crossed the goal line, and taken by the attacking team with the flagpost left in place. It is in play when kicked and clearly moving — it does not need to leave the corner area — and opponents must keep 9.15 m (10 yds) from the corner arc until then. A goal can be scored directly, against the opponents only.

The corner has picked up two new triggers in two seasons:

1. 2025/26: a goalkeeper who controls the ball in their hands inside their penalty area for more than eight seconds concedes a corner kick, placed in the corner area nearest the goalkeeper's position.
2. 2026/27: a team that deliberately delays its own goal kick past the five-second countdown concedes a corner kick.

Both are listed in the current Law 17 introduction and in the 2026/27 change log.

Kick-offs and dropped balls (Law 8)

A kick-off starts each half, each half of extra time and play after a goal; after a goal, the team that conceded takes it. Every player except the taker must be in their own half, opponents 9.15 m from the ball, and the ball stationary on the centre mark. A goal may be scored directly from a kick-off, against the opponents only.

The dropped ball is the restart for any stoppage that does not call for another one — an injury, an outside agent, a ball that hits a match official and changes possession or starts a promising attack. Under Law 8:

• if play stopped with the ball inside the penalty area, it is dropped for the defending goalkeeper;
• otherwise it is dropped for one player of the team that would have retained or gained possession — including, since 2026/27, the team that would have taken the restart had the ball gone out — or, if that cannot be judged, the team that last touched it;
• if the ball struck a match official or outside agent, it is dropped where that contact happened;
• everyone else stays at least 4 m (4.5 yds) away, and the ball is in play when it touches the ground.

A dropped ball cannot produce a goal until at least two players have touched it: straight into the opponents' goal is a goal kick, into the team's own goal a corner kick.

Common restart mistakes

• Throwing from the wrong spot. The throw must be taken from where the ball left the field; a throw from elsewhere is not taken correctly, so it goes to the opponents.
• Assuming a goal kick must leave the box. It is live as soon as it is kicked and clearly moves.
• Expecting offside from a corner. There is none from the corner itself; it can apply once the ball has been played on.
• Crowding the thrower. Two metres is the minimum, and encroaching is a caution.
• Treating the countdown as a caution. The first punishment is losing the restart; the yellow card is only for excessive delay after that.

Why restarts matter beyond the rulebook

Restarts are where a team's shape is reset, so they reward preparation: who takes the corner, who attacks the near post, who stays back for the counter. The soccer formations guide explains how a shape trades width for security, which is exactly what is on display when a team commits players forward for a corner. Soccer positions explained covers the roles involved, and how the offside rule works shows why the exemption for throw-ins, goal kicks and corners changes where attackers stand. Clean sheets explained is a reminder that a goal conceded from a set piece counts the same as any other.

In Pro Football GM Club Soccer, squad building works through position fit and playing style rather than one headline rating, and a full simulated season reports back in wins, draws and losses. Football Career Soccer XI Sim follows a single fictional player through match moments such as cross, shoot and make the run. Neither game makes predictions about real matches, and neither is connected to the IFAB or any competition. Set pieces are one chapter of the Laws; the soccer hub has the others, and sports career and GM games lists the games.