Quidditch is now played as quadball, a sport where seven players per team, each with a stick between their legs, score 10 points by sending a volleyball through one of the other team's hoops. The game ends when a seeker catches the flag for 30 points and the catching team is ahead, and the flag can't be caught until the first 20 minutes have passed.
Quidditch rules, the short version
The sport people search for as quidditch is officially called quadball. The rules here come from the IQA Rulebook 2024 from the International Quadball Association, the sport's international governing body, updated November 2024. I'll call it the IQA rulebook, as of November 2026. The IQA says quadball has existed since 2005 and that players gather daily in 40 countries.
Nobody flies. Players run with a stick held between their legs the whole time, and that one rule shapes everything: you're always playing with one hand partly busy.
Teams, positions and headbands
A team has up to 21 athletes, with seven on the field at once. Each player must keep a stick between their legs at all times.
| Position | How many in play | Headband | Job |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keeper | One (counts as a chaser) | Green | A chaser who defends the hoops |
| Chaser | Four including the keeper | White | Uses the volleyball to score goals |
| Beater | Two | Black | Uses the dodgeballs to knock opponents off their sticks |
| Seeker | One, after the seeker floor | Yellow | Tries to catch the flag |
There's also a gender maximum rule: a team can't have more than four players who identify as the same gender in play at once, or more than three during the seeker floor or overtime. It applies to who's on the pitch, not to the roster, and a team that can't field a legal set of eligible players forfeits.
If you know the books: the volleyball does the quaffle's job, the dodgeballs are the bludgers and the flag stands in for the snitch.
Hoops, balls and the flag
| Equipment | What the rulebook says |
|---|---|
| Hoops | Three on each goal line, tall hoop in the centre, the other two 2.75 meters from it |
| Short hoop | Between 89 and 93 centimeters high, on the left facing from midfield |
| Medium hoop | Between 135 and 139 centimeters high, on the right |
| Tall hoop | Between 181 and 185 centimeters high |
| Volleyball | One, between 65 and 67 centimeters in circumference |
| Dodgeballs | Three, between 68 and 70 centimeters in circumference |
| Flag | A ball between 65 and 69 millimeters in diameter, such as a tennis ball, in a sleeve worn by the flag runner |
| Player area | A rectangle 44 meters wide and 66 meters long enclosing the pitch |
The flag runner isn't a player. The rulebook calls them a game official, and the flag ball hangs from them in a sleeve.
How a game starts and the seeker floor
- The head referee calls sticks down, then sticks up.
- Players must mount their sticks on the first S sound of sticks up, and game time starts at that moment.
- For the first 20 minutes, called the seeker floor, there are no seekers in play and the flag can't be caught.
- At the end of the seeker floor, the timekeeper releases the seekers and the flag runner enters.
- Play carries on until a seeker makes a good flag catch.
- The catching team gets 30 points. If they now have more points, they win. If not, the game goes to overtime.
Scoring: goals and the flag catch
A good goal is worth 10 points. It's scored when the whole volleyball passes through one of the opponent's hoops, through either side, no matter who propelled it. The head referee confirms it with one long whistle blast and both arms raised.
A confirmed flag catch is worth 30 points. For it to count, the seeker must be on stick, the flag runner mustn't be down, the flag ball must have been securely attached to the runner, and it isn't valid if both seekers pull the flag off at the same moment. Goals scored after a legal flag catch are disallowed.
The rule people miss: the catch doesn't always win
This is the big difference from the fictional version. Catching the flag gives you 30 points, but if you still aren't ahead after adding them, the game goes to overtime. The target score is then set at the non-catching team's score plus 30 points, and the first team to reach it wins.
Here's how that plays out. Say Team A leads 90 to 50 and Team B's seeker catches the flag. Team B moves to 80, still behind, so it's overtime, and the target becomes Team A's 90 plus 30, so 120. Whoever gets there first takes the game.
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Getting beaten and the back to hoops rule
A dodgeball is one of three inflated rubber balls that only beaters use, to knock opponents temporarily off their sticks. A player is knocked off stick when they're dismounted or hit by an opponent's live dodgeball. When that happens they must:
- Drop any ball they're holding straight away.
- Touch one of their own hoops with their body. Touching it with the stick doesn't count, and the hoop mustn't be knocked out of place.
- Remount their stick before leaving the area around the hoops.
The third dodgeball
A team can't hoard the dodgeballs. When one team holds two and the third is free and dead, that third ball can't be touched or moved by the team holding the other two. A beater on the team without a dodgeball can raise a fist above the shoulder to claim immunity from being beat. A team that touches or blocks the third dodgeball gets a back to hoops penalty, a volleyball turnover and a double dodgeball turnover.
Penalties and cards
- Blue and yellow cards mean a one-minute penalty.
- A red card ejects the player, and their replacement serves a two-minute penalty.
- A second yellow card in the same game means the player must be ejected.
My verdict for anyone trying quadball
I'd learn the three ball jobs first: the volleyball scores 10 through a hoop, the dodgeballs knock people off stick, and the flag is worth 30 once the seeker floor's over. Then remember that the catch doesn't automatically end in a win, because that's the rule that surprises everyone who comes in from the books.
I'd skip the gender rule details, the full card list and the third dodgeball rule until you've played a few games. If you've played dodgeball you'll pick up the beating side fast, and the passing and hoop defence will feel close to handball rules, just with a stick between your legs.
Frequently asked questions
How many players are on a quidditch team?
Seven players are in play at once: four chasers (one is the keeper), two beaters and one seeker. A team can have up to 21 athletes.
How many points is the flag catch worth?
The flag catch scores 30 points. A seeker makes it by catching the flag from the flag runner, which can't happen until the 20-minute seeker floor ends.
How do you score in quidditch?
A goal is 10 points, scored when the whole volleyball passes through one of the opponent's hoops. A confirmed flag catch is 30 points.
Does catching the flag end the game?
Only if the catching team then has more points. If not, the game goes to overtime with a target score of the other team's score plus 30 points.
What happens when a player is hit by a dodgeball?
They're knocked off stick, must drop any ball, touch one of their own hoops and remount their stick before leaving the area around the hoops.
