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Soccer Rules for Beginners: The Laws That Actually Decide a Match

A plain-English walk through soccer's 17 Laws of the Game for 2026/27: pitch size, match length, fouls, cards, offside, restarts and the advantage.

By Published 9 min read

Reign Creative LLC makes Pro Football GM Club Soccer and Football Career Soccer XI Sim, which this article links to, so we have a commercial interest in them. How we write and check articles.

AI-assisted article. Drafted with AI tools from the sources cited below and checked by automated tests and an AI editorial review. No person has reviewed it yet. How we write and check articles.

Key takeaways

  • Learn the Laws in clusters — the field and kit, the officials, the clock, scoring, offside, fouls and restarts — rather than as seventeen separate rules.
  • Count a match as two 45-minute halves plus time added for stoppages; extra time and penalties only exist when a competition needs a winner.
  • When the referee waves play on after a foul, read it as the advantage: the foul can still be punished if the advantage does not follow within a few seconds.
  • Watch for the referee's raised arm at a free kick, because it means a goal needs a second touch.
  • Check the competition's own rules for pitch size, substitutes and tie-breaking, because the Laws leave those choices to competitions.

Soccer (association football) is played under 17 Laws, and a beginner needs only a handful of them to follow a match. Two teams of up to eleven players, one of them a goalkeeper, try to get the whole ball over the opponents' goal line, between the posts and under the crossbar. Apart from throw-ins, only a goalkeeper inside their own penalty area may handle the ball. A match is two halves of 45 minutes plus time added for stoppages, and the team with more goals wins — otherwise it is a draw, unless the competition needs a winner.

The Laws are written by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), and everything here follows the 2026/27 edition, in force since 1 July 2026 according to the IFAB's announcement. The same Laws apply from an international final to a park game, but competitions choose some details — pitch size within a range, the number of substitutes, what follows a draw — so a competition's own rules always sit on top of them.

The 17 Laws on one page

Law What it covers The one thing to remember
1 The Field of Play Pitch, markings, goals Size varies within set ranges
2 The Ball Size, weight, pressure Circumference 68–70 cm (27–28 ins)
3 The Players Numbers and substitutes Eleven per side at most; fewer than seven and play cannot continue
4 The Players' Equipment Kit and safety Shinguards are compulsory
5 The Referee Authority, advantage Decisions on facts connected with play are final
6 The Other Match Officials Assistants, fourth official, VAR They assist; the referee decides
7 The Duration of the Match Halves and added time Two 45-minute halves plus time lost
8 The Start and Restart of Play Kick-off, dropped ball A goal can be scored straight from a kick-off
9 The Ball in and out of Play When play is live Out only when the whole ball has crossed the line
10 Determining the Outcome Goals, winners, penalties Whole ball over the line, between the posts, under the bar
11 Offside Attacking position Being offside is not an offence by itself
12 Fouls and Misconduct Fouls, handball, cards Careless, reckless or excessive force
13 Free Kicks Direct and indirect A raised arm means indirect
14 The Penalty Kick Fouls in the penalty area Taken from the mark 11 m (12 yds) out
15 The Throw-in Ball over a touchline No goal straight from a throw
16 The Goal Kick Ball over the goal line off an attacker Can score directly, against the opponents only
17 The Corner Kick Ball over the goal line off a defender Can score directly, against the opponents only

The pitch, the ball, the players and the kit (Laws 1–4)

Law 1 sets ranges rather than one size, which is why grounds look different:

Dimension Most matches International matches
Length (touchline) 90–120 m (100–130 yds) 100–110 m (110–120 yds)
Width (goal line) 45–90 m (50–100 yds) 64–75 m (70–80 yds)

The markings inside are fixed. The goal is 7.32 m (8 yds) between the posts and 2.44 m (8 ft) high. The penalty area's side lines start 16.5 m (18 yds) from the inside of each post and run 16.5 m into the field; the goal area uses 5.5 m (6 yds) for both; and the penalty mark sits 11 m (12 yds) from the middle of the goal. The centre circle has a radius of 9.15 m (10 yds), the same distance opponents must keep at a kick-off or a free kick.

The ball must measure 68–70 cm (27–28 ins) around and weigh 410–450 g (14–16 oz) at kick-off. Each side has at most eleven players, one a goalkeeper, and a match may not start or continue with fewer than seven. Kit is a shirt with sleeves, shorts, socks, shinguards and footwear, with the goalkeeper in colours that stand out from everyone else's. The roles inside the eleven are covered in soccer positions explained.

Who decides (Laws 5–6)

The referee's decisions on facts connected with play, including whether a goal was scored and the result, are final. Assistant referees, a fourth official and, where a competition uses one, a video assistant referee help — signalling when the ball has left the field and who gets the restart, supervising substitutions, or flagging a clear error in a match-changing decision — but the referee makes the call.

The advantage, the Law beginners notice first

Law 5 lets the referee allow play to continue after an offence when stopping would hurt the team that was wronged. Picture a midfielder tripped as the ball runs to a team-mate in space: the referee lets play go on. If the advantage does not arrive at that time or within a few seconds, the referee can still return to the original offence. A trip that deserved a caution is still punished — the yellow card comes out when the ball next goes out of play. Since 2026/27 the advantage can also be applied when a team takes a restart incorrectly and the opponents win the ball.

The clock (Law 7)

A match is two equal halves of 45 minutes. They can be shortened only if the referee and both teams agree before kick-off and the competition allows it. Half-time may not exceed 15 minutes. At the end of each half, the fourth official shows the minimum time to be added for time lost — substitutions, injuries, time-wasting, cards, permitted drinks or cooling breaks, video reviews, goal celebrations and other delays — and the referee can add more but never less. A half also runs on until a penalty kick awarded in it has been completed.

So "how long is a soccer game?" has a precise answer: 90 minutes of playing time, plus added time in each half, plus a break of up to 15 minutes. Extra time is something else: Law 10 allows two equal periods of no more than 15 minutes each, but only when competition rules require a winner after a draw.

Starting, scoring and winning (Laws 8–10)

Each half, and play after every goal, starts with a kick-off from the centre mark; a goal may be scored directly from it, but only against the opponents. When the referee stops play for something that is not an offence — an injury, say — play restarts with a dropped ball.

The ball is out of play when the whole of it has crossed a goal line or touchline, on the ground or in the air, or when the referee stops play; a ball that touches a match official is also out of play if, as a result, a team starts a promising attack, the ball goes directly into the goal or possession changes. A ball on the line is still in play, and so is one that rebounds off a post, the crossbar or a corner flag and stays on the pitch.

A goal is scored when the whole ball crosses the goal line between the posts and under the crossbar, provided the scoring team committed no offence. More goals wins; equal goals is a draw. If a competition needs a winner, the Law permits only three procedures, alone or combined: an away-goals rule, extra time, or a penalty shoot-out. How draws then turn into league positions is a competition matter, covered in goal difference and tiebreakers.

Offside (Law 11)

Being in an offside position — in the opponents' half and nearer their goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent — is not an offence. It becomes one only if the player is in that position at the moment a team-mate plays the ball and then gets involved in active play. There is no offside from a throw-in, a goal kick or a corner kick. How the offside rule works takes it apart step by step.

Fouls, cards and free kicks (Laws 12–14)

Law 12 grades physical fouls — charging, jumping at, kicking, pushing, striking, tackling or tripping an opponent — by how they are committed. Careless means a lack of attention and needs no card. Reckless means disregard for the danger to an opponent and earns a yellow card, a caution. Using excessive force endangers an opponent's safety and earns a red card, a sending-off. Holding an opponent and handball offences are also direct free kick offences. Two cautions in a match make a red card, and a player sent off after kick-off cannot be replaced.

Not every contact between hand and ball is handball. The Law penalises a player who deliberately touches the ball with a hand or arm, or touches it with an arm that has made the body "unnaturally bigger", and it disallows a goal scored straight off the scorer's own hand or arm even when the touch was accidental.

Less physical offences — playing in a dangerous manner, impeding an opponent without contact, dissent — and offside are punished with an indirect free kick. The difference, set out in Law 13, is whether a goal can come straight from the kick. A direct free kick can go straight in; an indirect one must touch another player first, and the referee raises an arm until it has. Opponents stand at least 9.15 m (10 yds) away. When a direct free kick offence happens inside the offender's own penalty area, the restart is a penalty kick from the penalty mark.

Restarts (Laws 15–17)

  • Throw-in. The ball crossed a touchline; the opponents of the team that last touched it throw it back with both hands, from behind and over the head, with part of each foot on or behind the line. Opponents stay 2 m (2 yds) away. A goal cannot be scored directly from a throw-in (Law 15).
  • Goal kick. The ball crossed the goal line, without a goal, last touched by an attacker. It is in play once kicked and clearly moving, and it can score directly, but only against the opponents.
  • Corner kick. The ball crossed the goal line, without a goal, last touched by a defender. It can also score directly against the opponents. A corner is also awarded when a goalkeeper holds the ball for more than eight seconds and, since 2026/27, when a team delays its own goal kick.

Five things beginners usually get wrong

  1. "The ball was on the line, so it was out." It is out only when the whole ball has crossed.
  2. "He was offside because he was behind the defenders." Position is judged when the pass is played, and position alone is not an offence.
  3. "It hit his arm, so it's handball." The Law looks at deliberate touches and arms that make the body unnaturally bigger, not every touch.
  4. "Stoppage time and extra time are the same thing." Added time replaces time lost in a half; extra time is two additional periods in a match that must have a winner.
  5. "The referee missed the foul." Often play was waved on deliberately: that was the advantage.

What 2026/27 changed

The current edition mostly targets time-wasting. A substituted player has ten seconds to leave the field. Throw-ins and goal kicks that are being deliberately delayed get a visible five-second countdown, after which the opponents get the throw-in or a corner kick. A player treated on the pitch usually has to leave for a minute after the restart. The video assistant referee can now also correct a red card that came from a clearly wrong second yellow, and a card shown to the wrong player.

Where the Laws meet our games

Knowing the Laws makes a squad decision easier to reason about. Pro Football GM Club Soccer is a drafting game: you fill an XI position by position, position fit and playing style matter as much as ratings, and the game then plays out a league season and reports the wins, draws and losses its own rules produce — results, not forecasts of any real match. The guide to soccer formations explains what the shape you pick gives up, and clean sheets explained shows what one defensive statistic can and cannot tell you.

Football Career Soccer XI Sim takes the opposite view — one fictional player's career, with match moments such as pass, shoot, dribble, cross, press and tackle resolved by attributes, position, energy, morale and the match situation. Neither game is affiliated with the IFAB or any league. For more rules, tactics and game explainers, start from the soccer hub; the full catalogue is under sports career and GM games.

Good to know

Frequently asked questions

How long is a soccer game?
Two equal halves of 45 minutes, separated by a half-time interval of no more than 15 minutes, plus whatever time the referee adds for time lost in each half. The halves can be shortened only if the referee and both teams agree before kick-off and the competition rules allow it. Extra time — two periods of no more than 15 minutes each — is played only when a competition needs a winner from a drawn match.
How big is a soccer field?
Under Law 1, the touchline must be 90–120 m (100–130 yds) long and the goal line 45–90 m (50–100 yds) wide. International matches use a narrower range: 100–110 m (110–120 yds) by 64–75 m (70–80 yds). Competitions choose the exact size within those limits.
What does advantage mean in soccer?
It is the referee's power to let play continue after an offence when stopping would hurt the team that was fouled. If the expected advantage does not materialise at that time or within a few seconds, the referee can still go back and penalise the original offence. Any caution for the foul is shown when the ball is next out of play.
How many players are on a soccer team?
Each team has a maximum of eleven players on the field, one of whom must be the goalkeeper. A match may not start or continue if either team has fewer than seven players. Competitions decide how many substitutes may be used, up to a maximum of five in official competitions, and their rules may add one more in extra time and an additional concussion substitute.
Can you score directly from a throw-in?
No. If a throw-in goes straight into the opponents' goal, the restart is a goal kick, and if it goes straight into the thrower's own goal, it is a corner kick. Goals can be scored directly from a kick-off, a goal kick, a corner kick, a direct free kick and a penalty kick, and in every case only against the opponents: a direct free kick that goes straight into the kicker's own goal, for example, gives the opponents a corner kick.

Sources

  1. Law 1 – The Field of Play (Laws of the Game 2026/27) (opens in a new tab)The International Football Association Board (IFAB) — accessed
  2. Law 2 – The Ball (opens in a new tab)The International Football Association Board (IFAB) — accessed
  3. Law 3 – The Players (opens in a new tab)The International Football Association Board (IFAB) — accessed
  4. Law 5 – The Referee (opens in a new tab)The International Football Association Board (IFAB) — accessed
  5. Law 7 – The Duration of the Match (opens in a new tab)The International Football Association Board (IFAB) — accessed
  6. Law 10 – Determining the Outcome of a Match (opens in a new tab)The International Football Association Board (IFAB) — accessed
  7. Law 12 – Fouls and Misconduct (opens in a new tab)The International Football Association Board (IFAB) — accessed
  8. Law 13 – Free Kicks (opens in a new tab)The International Football Association Board (IFAB) — accessed
  9. Law 15 – The Throw-in (opens in a new tab)The International Football Association Board (IFAB) — accessed
  10. The IFAB introduces further measures to improve match flow and player behaviour (opens in a new tab)The International Football Association Board (IFAB) — accessed

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