The rules of football: the 17 Laws of the Game

Where the rules come from

The official rules of football are the Laws of the Game, published and updated every year by the International Football Association Board (IFAB). There are 17 Laws, and every competition in the world is built on them.

The main rules of football

Here's a plain-language summary of the most important rules — the ones you'll meet in almost every match.

• ✓The field, ball and players — a match is 11 v 11 on a marked field with one ball
• ✓Match duration — two halves of 45 minutes plus added time, unless the competition sets otherwise
• ✓Offside — a player is offside if involved in play while ahead of the ball and the second-last opponent at the moment the ball is played
• ✓Fouls and misconduct — direct and indirect free kicks, plus yellow and red cards for misconduct
• ✓Free kicks and penalties — how play restarts after a foul, including the penalty kick
• ✓Throw-ins, corner kicks and goal kicks — how the ball returns to play after it leaves the field
• ✓Goals and the result — a goal counts when the whole ball crosses the goal line between the posts

The rules every beginner asks about

Offside and handball cause the most confusion. Offside is about position and involvement at the moment the ball is played, not just standing in an advanced position. Handball depends on whether the arm made the body unnaturally bigger and on the specific situation — the Laws set out exactly when it's an offence.

From knowing the rules to refereeing

Reading the Laws is the first step; applying them at match speed is the skill. Referees train by making decisions on real situations over and over until the correct call is automatic — which is exactly how you learn to apply the rules, not just recite them.