- Soccer rules at a glance: teams, referee and kit
- Pitch size, goal size and the key distances
- How long a match lasts and how it kicks off
- When the ball is in and out of play
- Offside, minus the confusion
- Fouls, handball and yellow and red cards
- Free kicks, penalties, throw-ins, goal kicks and corners
- Draws, extra time and penalty shoot-outs
- My verdict: what to learn first
- Frequently asked questions
Soccer, which the Laws of the Game simply call football, is played by two teams on a rectangular field, and the team that scores more goals wins. A goal counts when the whole of the ball passes over the goal line between the posts and under the crossbar, as long as the scoring team hasn't committed an offence.
Everything here comes from the IFAB Laws of the Game, as of November 2026. The IFAB says its Laws are the same for all football worldwide, from a top league to a Sunday morning pitch. If you only want Law 11, my guide to the offside rule explained goes deeper on that one law.
Soccer rules at a glance: teams, referee and kit
Each team has a maximum of eleven players, and one of them must be the goalkeeper. The goalkeeper is the only player allowed to handle the ball, and only inside their own penalty area. One referee controls the match and has full authority to enforce the Laws.
There's a floor as well as a ceiling. A match may not start or continue if either team has fewer than seven players. In principle, a team responsible for a match being abandoned for that reason forfeits it, though competition regulations have the final say.
Substitutes are set by whoever runs the competition. In an official competition, FIFA, the confederation or the national football association decides how many substitutes may be used, up to a maximum of five. The names have to be given to the referee before the start, and a substitute who wasn't named by then can't take part.
The compulsory equipment is a shirt with sleeves, shorts, socks, shinguards and footwear. Jewellery of any kind is forbidden and must come off, and the referee inspects the players before the start.
Pitch size, goal size and the key distances
The longer boundary lines are the touchlines and the shorter ones are the goal lines. A halfway line joins the midpoints of the two touchlines. The Laws give ranges, not one fixed size. For ordinary matches:
| What | What the Laws say |
|---|---|
| Touchline | 90 m to 120 m, and always longer than the goal line |
| Goal line | 45 m to 90 m |
| Goal width | 7.32 m between the posts |
| Crossbar height | 2.44 m from the ground to the lower edge |
| Penalty area | 16.5 m from each goalpost and 16.5 m out into the field |
| Penalty mark | 11 m from the midpoint between the goalposts |
| Opponents at kick-offs and free kicks | At least 9.15 m from the ball |
| Opponents at a throw-in | At least 2 m away |
How long a match lasts and how it kicks off
A match is two equal halves of 45 minutes, with a half-time interval of no more than 15 minutes. The 45 minutes can only be cut if the referee and both teams agree before the start and the competition rules allow it.
The referee adds time at the end of each half for time lost to substitutions, injuries, time-wasting, disciplinary sanctions, VAR checks and goal celebrations. The fourth official shows the minimum additional time. The referee may increase it but can't reduce it, so when the board goes up, that's the least you'll play.
Before the start the referee tosses a coin. The winner decides which goal to attack in the first half or chooses to take the kick-off. Here's how a kick-off works:
- The ball is stationary on the centre mark.
- Every player except the kicker is in their own half of the field.
- The opponents stay at least 9.15 m from the ball until it's in play.
- The ball is in play when it's kicked and clearly moves.
- A kick-off starts each half, and it also restarts play after a goal, taken by the team that conceded.
One that surprises people: a goal can be scored directly from a kick-off, but only against the opponents.
When the ball is in and out of play
Play stops when the whole ball crosses a goal line or touchline, on the ground or in the air, or when the referee stops it. Wholly is the key word: a ball that's only partly over the line is still in play. How play restarts depends on what happened, and there are six ways back in: a throw-in, a goal kick, a corner kick, a free kick, a penalty kick or a dropped ball.
Offside, minus the confusion
A player is in an offside position if any part of their 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. Hands and arms aren't counted, which is why a goalkeeper's arm or a striker's outstretched hand never decides it.
Here's the part most people miss. Being in an offside position isn't an offence on its own. A player is only penalised if they're in that position when a team-mate plays or touches the ball, and they then become involved in active play. A player standing offside who stays out of it hasn't done anything wrong.
- There's no offside offence if a player receives the ball directly from a goal kick, a throw-in or a corner kick.
- Offside is punished with an indirect free kick, taken where the offence happened.
Fouls, handball and yellow and red cards
A direct free kick is given for contact fouls such as kicking, tripping, pushing or charging an opponent, when the referee judges them careless, reckless or using excessive force. That judgement decides the card:
| How the foul is judged | Free kick | Card |
|---|---|---|
| Careless | Direct free kick | No card needed |
| Reckless | Direct free kick | Caution, a yellow card |
| Excessive force | Direct free kick | Sending-off, a red card |
A second caution in the same match leads to a sending-off. And a reckless tackle can still earn a yellow card after the ball has left the field. The card stands, but the restart is then the throw-in, corner or goal kick, not a free kick.
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Handball is an offence when it's deliberate, and also when the ball touches an arm that has made the body unnaturally bigger. The goalkeeper is the exception, and only inside their own penalty area.
Goalkeepers have their own trap. A keeper who controls the ball with their hands for more than eight seconds before releasing it gives away a corner kick. The Laws say the referee visually counts down the last five seconds with a raised hand, so there's a warning before it's given.
Free kicks, penalties, throw-ins, goal kicks and corners
Most restart arguments come from mixing these up.
- Free kicks. The ball must be stationary and opponents at least 9.15 m away. A direct free kick kicked into the opponents' goal counts. An indirect free kick kicked straight in gives a goal kick instead.
- Penalty kicks. Given when a player commits a direct free kick offence inside their own penalty area. The goalkeeper stays on the goal line between the posts, facing the kicker, until the ball is kicked. Everyone else is outside the penalty area, behind the penalty mark and at least 9.15 m from it. The kicker must kick the ball forward.
- Throw-ins. The thrower faces the field, has part of each foot on or outside the touchline, and throws with both hands from behind and over the head. Opponents stand at least 2 m away.
- Goal kicks and corners. When the whole ball crosses the goal line without a goal, it's a goal kick if an attacker touched it last and a corner kick if a defender did. Both are kicked from a stationary ball, and both can score directly, but only against the opponents.
Three throw-in catches are worth knowing. You can't score directly from a throw-in: throw it into the opponents' goal and it's a goal kick, into your own and it's a corner. If the ball touches the ground before it enters the field, the same team retakes it. If the throw is taken wrongly, the other team gets it.
Draws, extra time and penalty shoot-outs
If both teams score no goals, or the same number, the match is drawn. When competition rules need a winner, the Laws allow only three methods: the away goals rule, two equal periods of extra time not exceeding 15 minutes each, and kicks from the penalty mark, or a combination of those. Which one applies is down to the competition, not the referee.
In a penalty shoot-out both teams take five kicks, alternately. If the scores are level after that, kicks carry on until one team has scored a goal more than the other from the same number of kicks. A player sent off during the match can't take part.
My verdict: what to learn first
I'd start with four things: the two halves of 45 minutes, what makes a goal, how the ball goes out and comes back in, and the difference between standing offside and being penalised for it. Then learn the card ladder, because that's where tempers go.
I'd skip the substitute numbers, the away goals rule and anything to do with VAR until you're playing in a club or league, where the competition rules decide those for you anyway. If you're running a mixed sports day and want something with fewer stoppages, my guide to kickball is an easy one to teach on the day.
Frequently asked questions
How long is a soccer match?
Two equal halves of 45 minutes, with a half-time interval of no more than 15 minutes. The referee adds time at the end of each half for stoppages.
What is offside in soccer?
A player is in an offside position if part of their head, body or feet is in the opponents' half and nearer the opponents' goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent. It's only an offence if they then become involved in active play.
When is a penalty kick awarded?
When a player commits a direct free kick offence inside their own penalty area. The goalkeeper must stay on the goal line until the ball is kicked.
What happens if a soccer match is drawn?
If the scores are level at the end, the match is a draw. Where a winner is required, competition rules may use the away goals rule, two equal periods of extra time not exceeding 15 minutes each, or penalties.
How far must opponents stand at a free kick?
At least 9.15 m from the ball until it's in play, unless they're on their own goal line between the posts.
