Water Polo Rules 2026: Shot Clock, Exclusions and Penalties

This page is based on the World Aquatics Competition Regulations, Part Six, Water Polo Rules, in force from February 2026, as of November 2026. Those regulations apply at the Olympic Games, at World Aquatics events and at other events held under World Aquatics rules. Club and school leagues can set their own variations, so check yours.

Water polo basics in one table

Question	What the rules say
Players on the field	Seven per team, one of them a goalkeeper
Players on the start list	Minimum seven, maximum fourteen
Match length	Four periods of eight minutes of actual play
Breaks	Two minutes between periods one and two and between three and four, five minutes at half-way
Field of play	25.00 metres long and 20.00 metres wide
Water depth	At least 2.00 metres
Shot clock	28 seconds of actual play, 18 seconds in some cases
A draw after four periods	Decided by a penalty shootout

Squads, goalkeepers and the pool

A team's start list holds between seven and fourteen players: up to twelve field players, one or two goalkeepers and one captain. Up to three team officials can be listed, including a head coach if any officials are listed, plus two medical staff.

Each team starts with seven in the water, one of whom must be a goalkeeper, and only one goalkeeper can be on the field at any time. After the start a team can choose to play with field players only. If injuries or exclusions take a team below seven, it carries on with fewer. With fewer than two available players, it forfeits.

The field of play is 25.00 metres by 20.00 metres, the water is at least 2.00 metres deep and the goal area is 7.16 metres wide.

Periods, actual play and the swim-off

A match is four periods, each of eight minutes of actual play. That phrase matters: the clock stops at every stoppage, such as a foul, and starts again only when the ball is back in play. So a period takes longer than eight minutes on a wall clock.

Teams swap ends before the third period. Here's how each period starts:

1. Players line up with part of their head in line with their own goal line, about one metre apart and at least one metre from the goal posts.
2. The referee blows the whistle.
3. The ball is released at the halfway line, by a ball release device if one is available.
4. After a goal, the team that conceded restarts with a free throw on or behind the halfway line.

What counts as a goal

A goal is scored when the whole ball passes between the posts, under the crossbar and past the front edge of the goal line, so that no part of it shows in front of the line. It counts for the team attacking that goal, whoever touched it last, so an own goal counts.

You can score from anywhere in the field, with any part of the body, except that an attacker can't score with a clenched fist. There's also a two-touch rule people don't expect. Apart from specified restarts, a goal can only be scored once at least two players, not counting the defending goalkeeper, have intentionally played or touched the ball since the last start or restart. A direct shot from a penalty throw, a goal throw, a corner throw, or a free throw taken behind the offensive 6 metre line without delay can score without that second touch.

A shot beating the buzzer counts too. If the ball is in flight when the period ends and crosses the goal line without anyone gaining possession, the goal stands, even if it bounced off the water or the goalkeeper on the way.

The 28 second shot clock

This is the rule that shapes every attack. A team can keep the ball for no more than 28 seconds of actual play without shooting at the opponent's goal. Hold it any longer and it's an ordinary foul, with a free throw to the other side.

• The clock resets to 28 seconds after a goal, and when the other team takes the ball.
• If a shot rebounds off the post, the crossbar or a player and the shooting team gets it back, that team has only 18 seconds.
• The same 18 second limit applies after a penalty throw, a corner throw, or a free throw won when the other side sends the ball out.

Timeouts have their own trap. Only the team with the ball can call one. If the team without the ball asks for a timeout in play, it's invalid: the other team gets a penalty throw, and the team loses one of its timeouts if it still had one.

Ordinary fouls, exclusions and three strikes

Two everyday rules surprise newcomers. Field players can't touch the floor of the pool during play, so there's no standing, walking or jumping off the bottom. And touching the ball with two hands at the same time is a foul for everyone except a goalkeeper inside their own 6 metre area.

Exclusion fouls are the next step up. They include:

• interfering with a free throw, goal throw or corner throw
• blocking a pass or shot with two hands outside your own 6 metre area
• splashing water in an opponent's face
• holding, sinking or pulling back an opponent who isn't holding the ball
• kicking or striking

An excluded player goes to the exclusion re-entry area behind their own goal line. For most exclusion fouls they can come back, or be replaced, after the earliest of these: 18 seconds of actual play, a goal, their team regaining the ball, or their team being awarded a free throw, goal throw or penalty throw. So an exclusion isn't a fixed sentence. It often ends sooner.

Fouls add up. Three personal fouls against a player, which come from exclusion fouls or penalty fouls, mean that player is excluded for the rest of the match.

Penalty fouls and the 5 metre throw

A penalty foul is committed, for example, by a defender inside their 6 metre area who commits any foul that would probably have prevented a goal, or who pulls the goal down. The other team gets a penalty throw.

1. The thrower takes it from any point on the 5 metre line.
2. Everyone except the thrower and the defending goalkeeper stays out of the 6 metre area and at least 3 metres from the thrower.
3. On the whistle, the thrower shoots in one uninterrupted movement, directly at the goal.
4. If the goalkeeper moves forward before the whistle and the shot misses, the goalkeeper is excluded and the throw is retaken.

My verdict for new players and fans

I'd learn the shot clock and the exclusion rules first. Between them they explain most of what you'll see in a match: why attacks speed up near the end of a possession, and why one team is suddenly a player short for a few seconds.

I'd skip the detail of restarts and team official rules until you're playing in a league or helping run a match. If you're new to the pool, just remember three things: don't touch the bottom, one hand on the ball, and a timeout belongs to the team with the ball. For another fast team sport with tight rules on contact, the netball rules are a good comparison, and so is how volleyball is played.

Frequently asked questions

How many players are on a water polo team?

Each team starts with seven players on the field, one of whom is a goalkeeper. A team's start list holds a minimum of seven and a maximum of fourteen players.

How long is a water polo match?

Four periods of eight minutes of actual play, with a two minute interval between periods one and two and between three and four, and a five minute interval at half-way.

How long is the shot clock in water polo?

28 seconds of actual play. It's 18 seconds after a rebound the shooting team regains, and after a penalty throw, a corner throw or a free throw won when the other side sends the ball out.

What happens when a player is excluded?

They leave the field for the exclusion re-entry area and can return, or be replaced, after the earliest of 18 seconds of actual play, a goal, their team regaining the ball or being awarded a free throw, goal throw or penalty throw.

How is a tied water polo match decided?

If both teams have scored the same number of goals at the end of the fourth period, a penalty shootout decides the winner.