Flag football has no tackling, blocking or fumbles: teams of 5 play on a short field, and a play ends when the ball-carrier's flag is pulled from their belt. The offense gets four downs to cross midfield, then three more to score, and a touchdown is worth 6 points.
These are NFL FLAG rules, taken from the NFL FLAG Official Playing Rules (the rulebook PDF, revised in 2025) plus its how-to-play and tournament rules pages, as of November 2026. They aren't NFL tackle or college rules, and individual leagues can vary, so check with your league on anything that matters on the day. Intentional physical play isn't permitted at all: no tackling, diving, blocking, screening or fumbles.
Team size, field and kit
NFL FLAG teams compete 5 on 5, with up to 10 players on a team, and the same five play both offense and defense. Other leagues may play 6 on 6, 7 on 7 or 9 on 9. Field sizes vary by league too. The rulebook gives two standard options, and the how-to page describes a slightly wider one:
| Field option | Width | Length | End zones |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rulebook option one | 25 yards | 70 yards | 10 yards |
| Rulebook option two | 25 yards | 64 yards | 7 yards |
| How-to page description | 30 yards | 70 yards | Not stated |
Every player wears an official NFL FLAG belt and flags, a mouth guard and shoes. Hats and jewellery come off, jerseys hanging below the belt line get tucked in, and metal cleats are never allowed.
The coin toss and how a drive works
There's no kickoff. Here's how a game starts and how a drive plays out:
- Captains meet at midfield for a coin toss, and the visiting team calls it.
- The winner chooses offense or defense, and the loser chooses direction. There's no option to defer.
- The offense takes the ball at its own 5-yard line.
- It has four downs to cross midfield.
- If it doesn't make it, it can punt on fourth down, which gives the other team the ball at its own 5-yard line. If it goes for it and fails, the other team takes over where fourth down ended.
- Once across midfield, the offense has three downs to score a touchdown.
- If it fails to score on third down, the ball changes hands and the new offense starts at its own 5-yard line.
- At half-time the teams switch sides, and the team that started with the ball begins the second half on defense.
Passing, the 7 second clock and no run zones
The offense needs at least one player on the line of scrimmage (the center) and can have up to four. The quarterback must be off the line. The center snaps the ball, and it's live until the official whistles it dead.
Any offensive player can throw a forward pass, not only the quarterback. You're allowed one forward pass per play, thrown from behind the line of scrimmage, and unlimited backward passes behind the line. There's no intentional grounding. The quarterback has a 7 second pass clock: if no pass is thrown in time, the play is dead, the down counts and the ball goes back to the line of scrimmage.
The quarterback can't run the ball across the line of scrimmage after taking the snap. Handoffs, pitches and laterals are fine, but only behind the line.
Then there's the rule most new players and parents miss: no run zones. The area 5 yards before midfield and 5 yards before the end zone is a no run zone. While the ball's in one, the offense can't run it across the line of scrimmage, so every play has to be a forward pass across the line. Each drive meets only two of them: the one before midfield and the one before the goal line. Youth guidelines for 8U and below remove no run zones and rushing altogether.
Rushing the passer and pulling flags
Rushers start at least 7 yards from the line of scrimmage, and no more than 2 can rush the quarterback. They must raise a hand before the snap and go straight away, because a delayed rush isn't permitted. Once the ball is handed off, pitched or lateraled behind the line, every defender may rush. Pull the quarterback's flags behind the line and it's a sack; a flag pull in the offense's own end zone is a 2 point safety.
Defenders can dive to pull flags, but they can't tackle, hold, run through the ball-carrier or strip the ball. A flag pull only counts when the ball-carrier has full possession. The ball is dead when any of these happens:
- The ball hits the ground.
- The ball-carrier's flag is pulled or falls out.
- The ball-carrier steps out of bounds.
- The ball-carrier's knee, shin, leg, forearm or arm hits the ground.
Ball-carriers have limits too. You can't jump, leap or hurdle a defender: the play's blown dead and the ball spotted there. You can't flag guard, which means blocking access to your flags by stiff-arming, dropping an elbow or head, or covering them with your jersey or the ball. And if you catch the ball with one flag or none on your belt, the play is dead at that spot.
Points, conversions, game clock and overtime
| Score | Points |
|---|---|
| Touchdown | 6 |
| Conversion from the 5-yard line (must be a pass) | 1 |
| Conversion from the 10-yard line (run or pass) | 2 |
| Safety | 2 |
| Interception returned for a score in regular play | 6 |
| Interception returned on a conversion or in overtime | 2 |
Regular season games run on a 48-minute continuous clock, with two 24-minute halves. Each team gets one 60-second timeout per half, and the play clock is 40 seconds after the ball is spotted. The clock stops for half-time, injuries and at the officials' discretion. Tournament play is different, with two 12 minute running halves and a 25 second play clock. A regular season game ends early when one team leads by 35 points or more; in tournament play the mercy margin is 28 points.
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If it's tied, each team gets one play in overtime, from the defense's 5-yard line for 1 point or its 10-yard line for 2 points. From the second overtime, both teams must try a 2 point conversion from the 10-yard line.
Fouls and what each one costs
Offensive penalties generally cost the offense a loss of down and yardage. Defensive penalties give the offense an automatic first down, plus yardage for some. Unsportsmanlike conduct is 10 yards, and two unsportsmanlike penalties on any player or coach mean disqualification.
Offside, false start and illegal motion are among the common offensive fouls, each costing 5 yards from the line of scrimmage and a loss of down. Only one player may be in motion at the snap, moving parallel to the line or backwards. Flag guarding costs 5 yards and a loss of down as well.
What I'd tell a family new to flag
I'd make sure every new player knows three things before their first game: you can't touch the ball-carrier except for their flags, the quarterback can't run across the line, and no run zones mean you pass. Those cover most of the whistles you'll hear early on. I'd also teach kids not to cover their flags with a hand or the ball, because it's instinct and it's a foul.
I'd skip the overtime details and tournament clock until your team's entering a tournament. If your kids like the no-contact team format, ultimate frisbee works on a similar idea, and kickball is an easy one for school fields.
Frequently asked questions
How many players are on a flag football team?
NFL FLAG football teams compete 5 on 5, and up to 10 players are allowed on a team. Other leagues may play 6 on 6, 7 on 7 or 9 on 9.
Is there tackling in flag football?
No. NFL FLAG football is a non-contact sport with no tackling, diving, blocking or screening. A play ends when the ball-carrier's flag is pulled.
How many downs do you get in flag football?
Four downs to cross midfield, then three downs to score a touchdown.
How do you score in flag football?
A touchdown is 6 points, a safety is 2 points, and the extra point is 1 point from the 5-yard line or 2 points from the 10-yard line.
Can the quarterback run in flag football?
Not across the line of scrimmage after taking the snap. The quarterback can hand off, pitch or lateral behind the line, or pass.
