Our soccer rules primer explains the basic rules of soccer to casual fans. It covers rules in mostly broad strokes rather than in fine detail.

The rules are officially referred to as “laws of the game“. If you want to get into the fine details, check one of the following links: laws of the game (from the world soccer governing body FIFA web site) / laws of the game (from the US Soccer web site; same laws, possibly with some different wording).

Quick links:

Players
Boundaries
Ball out of play
Offside
The “advantage” clause
Hand ball
Starting and restarting play
Fouls
Goalkeeper rules
Yellow cards
Red cards
Substitutions
Soccer terms
Soccer rule myths

Players

Soccer has 11 players on each team, one of which is a goalkeeper. At younger ages (currently U12 and younger), teams play on smaller fields with smaller team sizes, such as 9v9, 7v7 or 4v4. Some of the youngest ages play with smaller goals and don’t use goalkeepers.

Boundaries:

Boundary rules are based on the position of the ball, not the position of the player.

Unlike many sports, the boundary lines are part of the playing field.

The ball isn’t out of bounds (officially called “out of play“) until it fully crosses over a boundary line, whether the ball is on the ground or in the air.

The sidelines are called “touch lines” and the end lines are called “goal lines“.

You’ll see some close calls near the goals. For example, if a goalie saves a ball on the goal line, it’s not a goal, because the ball isn’t fully past the goal line.

Ball out of play:

When a ball goes out of play, there’s a specific restart depending on where the ball went out of play. See Starting and restarting play below.

Offside:

This is soccer’s most confusing rule. We’ll leave the minute details to the laws links above. A simple definition: a player can’t hang out behind the opponent’s defense waiting for a ball. (Some people refer to this as “cherry picking”.) A player can dribble past all the opponents, and she can run behind the opponents to collect a pass, but she can’t just setup behind the opposing team’s players waiting for the ball.

Exceptions:

Offside doesn’t apply on throw-ins, goal kicks and corner kicks. (Many fans aren’t aware of the exception on goal kicks.)
A player can’t be offside if she is behind the ball or level with the ball.
A player can’t be offside if she’s in her own half of the field.
A player can’t be offside if the opponent plays the ball to her.
Referees normally only call offside if the player is involved in the play. For example, a player who is hanging out behind the opponent and never gets involved in the play should not be penalized for being in an offside position.
Younger age group modifications:
- In many U8 or younger leagues, and some U10 leagues, the offside rule doesn’t apply.
- In games where offside is in effect, and the field has a build-out line (aka “get back line”), offside only applies to attacking players who are in front of the build-out line.

The “advantage” clause:

In the case of a foul, a referee may rule “advantage, play on” instead of stopping play for the foul. A smart ref does this if allowing play to continue is an advantage for the team whose player was fouled.

For example, a defender pushes an attacker. The attacker quickly regains her balance, still has the ball, gets past the defender, and is dribbling toward goal. Playing “advantage” is the right call, because the attacker has a good chance to score. If the ref whistled for the pushing foul, the defending team would have time to regroup and get back into position to defend a free kick.

Experienced referees will do a quick evaluation of the attacking team’s situation anytime there’s a foul, and take a second or two to decide whether it’s better to allow play to continue (advantage) or whistle for the foul.

Hand ball:

This is officially referred to as “handling” and refers to a player intentionally touching the ball with her hand or any part of her arm up to her shoulder. If a ball hits a player’s hand or arm, and the referee doesn’t think it was intentional, or leads to an advantage for the team that handled, it’s not a foul.

2019 rule modifications: The accidental hand ball has been clarified.
- Referees should call handling if an accidental hand ball results in a goal or a goal-scoring opportunity. The referee should also call handling if:
  - the player touches the ball with her hand/arm when her hand/arm has made her body unnaturally bigger, or
  - the player’s hand/arm is above/beyond her shoulder level (unless the player deliberately plays the ball which then touches their hand/arm)
- Accidental handling is not usually an offense if the ball touches a player’s hand/arm:
  - directly from the player’s own head or body (including the foot)
  - directly from the head or body (including the foot) of another player who is close
  - if the hand/arm is close to the body and does not make the body unnaturally bigger
  - when a player falls and the hand/arm is between the body and the ground to support the body, but not extended laterally or vertically away from the body

Lots of fans (some coaches too) automatically scream “handball!” as soon as a ball touches a player’s hand or arm. In some cases, they are wrong, because there was no intent / advantage gained, or the player didn’t have a reasonable chance to avoid the contact.

Exception:

A goalkeeper is allowed the handle the ball inside her own penalty area.

Starting and restarting play:

When the ball goes out of play, or the referee whistles to stop play, there’s a specific restart. Two basic rules of thumb relating to the team taking the restart: any player can initiate the restart, even a goalkeeper; a player can’t touch the ball twice in a row on a restart (exception: a drop ball). Put another way, restarts usually result in a pass or shot, because a player can’t just start dribbling.

Beginning of each half:

Each half begins with a kickoff. All players from each team must be on their own half of the field. The ball is live as soon as it is touched. Prior to 2016, the team taking the kickoff was required to play the ball forward, but the law now allows the team to kick the ball in any direction. A team can score directly from a kickoff.

After a goal is scored:

Restart is a kickoff for the team that conceded the goal.

After a ball crosses over the sideline (the “touch line”):

Restart is a throw-in for the team that didn’t play the ball over the touch line. On a throw-in, the thrower must stand on or behind the touch line, start her throw while holding the ball with both hands behind her head, and keep both feet on the ground as she completes the throw. A player can’t score directly from a throw in. The term “touch line” is used since this is a situation where a player is allowed to use her hands to play the ball.

Bad throws:

If a player is guilty of a bad throw, the ball goes to the other team for a throw-in. At very young ages, smart refs may not call bad throws unless they are blatant, otherwise the game would lose all flow.

After a ball crosses over the end line (the “goal line”):

The restart depends on which team last touched the ball before it crossed over the goal line.

Goal kick:

If the attacking team played the ball over the defending team’s goal line (for example, a missed shot, or a poor pass or cross), the restart is a goal kick for the defending team. Goal kicks can be taken from anywhere on or inside the goal area. Players from the other team aren’t allowed in the penalty area until the ball is live.
- Old rule, in effect until summer 2019: A goal kick isn’t a live ball until it leaves the penalty area. You’ll see occasional re-do goal kicks at young ages, since players may not be strong enough to kick the ball outside the penalty area, or opponents may not have learned that they can’t challenge for the ball until it leaves the penalty area.
- New rule, effective summer 2019: A goal kick is live as soon as the ball is kicked and moves.

Younger age group modifications:

In many U8 or younger leagues, when a team has a goal kick, the opponents must retreat into their own half of the field before the goal kick is taken. This gives the kicking team a chance to work the ball out of the back without facing immediate pressure.
Some U12 and younger leagues will implement a “build out” line starting in the fall 2016 season. (We sometimes call it the “get back” line.) Opponents will be required to retreat behind the build out line on goal kicks. This encourages teams to “build out of the back” through controlled passing, rather than just thumping long balls.

Corner kick:

If the defending team played the ball over their own goal line (for example, a deflected shot or a poor clearance), the restart is a corner kick for the attacking team. On a corner kick, the ball is live as soon as it is touched. A player can score directly from a corner kick. (This is known as an “Olimpico” goal.)

After the referee stops play because of a foul:

The restart depends on the type of foul. See Fouls below for more about the types of fouls.

Direct free kick (DFK):

If a team is called for a physical foul or handling, the opponent is awarded a direct free kick. Players from the opposing team are required to stand 10 or more yards away from the spot of the kick. (You’ll occasionally hear players or coaches request “10 yards ref!“) A player can score directly from a DFK. A referee signals a DFK by pointing her arm toward goal.

Penalty kick:

A penalty kick is a special type of direct free kick for physical fouls or handling inside a team’s own penalty area.
On a penalty kick, all players except the goalkeeper and penalty taker must stand outside the penalty area, so the defending team can’t setup a wall to block the kick. The kick is taken from a spot 12 yards from goal (10 or 8 yards for younger age groups).
If the kicker’s shot rebounds off the goalie or off a goalpost, it’s a live ball. (Exception: In penalty kick shootouts, the kicker only gets one shot, so rebound shots don’t count.)

Penalty kick quirks:

A player takes a penalty kick. The ball hits the crossbar and rebounds back to the kicker. She shoots again and scores. The goal doesn’t count, because the kicker touched the ball twice in a row without another player having played the ball. (A penalty kick is a type of restart, and a player can’t touch the ball twice in a row on a restart.)
The penalty taker passes the ball for a teammate to run onto. Rare, but OK as long as the pass travels forward.

Indirect free kick (IFK):

If a team is called for a minor infraction, the opponent is awarded an indirect free kick. The difference between a DFK and an IFK is that a player can’t score directly from an IFK. The ball must touch a 2nd player (teammate or opponent) before a goal can be scored from an IFK. A referee signals an IFK by raising her arm straight into the air.

Younger age group modifications:

In many U8 or younger leagues, and some U10 leagues, all restarts after fouls are indirect free kicks. In addition, some younger age groups don’t allow penalty kicks.
Starting in the fall 2016 seasons, many U11 and younger leagues won’t allow players to intentionally head the ball. If a player does so, the referee can call “dangerous play” and award the opponent an indirect free kick. (Tangent: video with demos about alternatives to heading the ball.)

After the referee otherwise stops live play (not due to a foul or misconduct):

The restart is a “drop ball“. The normal situation is if the referee stops live play to check on an injured player, or if the ball hits the referee and results in a loss of possession or unfair advantage / disadvantage to a team. You’ll occasionally see oddball situations that require a stoppage, such as a dog (or toddler) running onto the field to join play. On a drop ball, the ball is live as soon as the ball touches the ground. This is the one restart where a player can immediately dribble the ball. The drop ball law was modified slightly in 2016: a player can’t score directly from a drop ball.

2019 drop ball modifications:

Prior to summer 2019, players from both teams could contest a drop ball. This created a potentially dangerous clash, so the drop ball law was changed to become an uncontested restart.
A referee can stop live play if the ball hits her and results in an unfair advantage or disadvantage to a team. The referee is no longer “part of the field” like a goalpost or corner flag.
A drop ball restart has the referee dropping the ball for a player on the team who had most recently been in possession, with all other players at least 4 yards away. If the ball was in the penalty area prior to the stoppage, the referee will drop the ball for the defending team’s goalkeeper.

Fouls:

There are two classes of fouls. Some result in a direct free kick, some result in an indirect free kick. (Or “advantage, play on” if the referee knows that stopping play would help the team that committed the foul.)

Fouls that result in a direct free kick:

Some of these are judgment calls.

Pushing an opponent: hip checks and booty bumps are pushing fouls, but shoulder to shoulder charges are allowed if you’re making an attempt to play the ball
Kicking or attempting to kick an opponent
Tripping or attempting to trip an opponent
Illegal tackle: making contact with the opponent before playing the ball (other than shoulder to shoulder contact), or making unnecessary or careless contact with an opponent after playing the ball
Holding an opponent
Jumping at an opponent
Charging an opponent: shoulder to shoulder charges are allowed if you’re making an attempt to play the ball
Striking or attempting to strike an opponent: this should result in a red card for violent conduct
Spitting at an opponent: this should result in a red card

Younger age group modifications:

In many U8 or younger leagues, and some U10 leagues, all restarts after fouls are indirect free kicks.

Fouls that result in an indirect free kick:

Offside
Illegal restart: a player touches the ball twice in a row on a free kick or throw-in
Dangerous play: This refers to an act that endangers a player or an opponent, without actual physical contact. Examples are a “high kick” when a player raises her foot to an unnatural height in an attempt to play a ball that is being contested by an opponent, or a player who is on the ground trying to play the ball while being contested by an opponent. (High kicks and playing while on the ground are permitted when an opponent isn’t within playing distance of the ball.) If a high kick results in the player kicking an opponent, this becomes a direct free kick (and could potentially result in a yellow or red card).
- Headers: Starting in the fall 2016 seasons, many U11 and younger leagues won’t allow players to intentionally head the ball. If a player does so, the referee can call “dangerous play” and award the opponent an indirect free kick.
Impeding (also called obstruction): This refers to blocking a player from moving or making an attempt to play the ball when you aren’t making a play on the ball yourself. (Think of “boxing out” in basketball.) A player can legally obstruct an opponent if the player is within playing distance of the ball, even if she chooses not to play the ball. You see this type of legal obstruction in clock-killing situations late in games when a player whose team has the lead shields the ball near the corner flag.
Blocking a goalkeeper from distributing the ball
Goalkeeper violations: holding the ball longer than 6 seconds, or handling the ball inside her own penalty area in a situation that doesn’t allow her to use her hands (see Goalkeeper rules below for more about goalkeeper handling)

Goalkeeper rules:

A goalkeeper (goalie) can move anywhere on the field, even outside of her own penalty area. (We’ve had cases where our goalie scored after dribbling the length of the field while surprised opponents stood and watched.) The goalie is allowed to use her hands to catch or otherwise control the ball inside her own penalty area.

A goalkeeper can score a goal via kicking or punting the ball into the opponent’s goal. A 2019 rule change prohibits a goalkeeper from scoring a goal by throwing the ball into the opponent’s goal.

There are three situations when a goalie isn’t allowed to handle the ball in her own penalty area:

If the ball is played to her by a teammate via an intentional pass using the leg. This is referred to as the “pass back” rule. Intent is the key word here. If the ball deflects off a teammate’s leg, the goalie can handle the ball. If a teammate passes the ball to her goalie using her head or chest, the goalie can handle the ball. (The teammate’s header or chest pass to her goalie is rarely seen at the youth level, but not uncommon at the highest levels.)
If the goalie has possession of the ball with her hands, releases it, and then handles it again before another player (teammate or opponent) touches the ball. Bouncing the ball before punting it is not considered releasing possession.
If the ball is played to her by a teammate via a throw-in

Goalie possession quirks:

The opponent plays a long ball into the goalkeeper’s half of the field. The goalie runs outside her penalty area to play the ball with her feet. An opponent races in to pressure the goalie. The goalie then dribbles the ball back into her own penalty area and picks it up with her hands. Legal? Yes, because the ball was originally played by the opponent.
The goalie makes a save. Instead of throwing it or punting it to a teammate, she sets the ball down with the intention of passing it to a nearby teammate. An opponent races in to pressure the ball. The goalie quickly picks up the ball with her hands. Legal? No, because the goalie had possession with her hands, then clearly released the ball, and handled it again before another player touched the ball. The correct call is illegal possession (indirect free kick at the spot of the foul), not handball.
The goalie races out to the top of her penalty area to make a save. She catches the ball, and her momentum carries her outside the penalty area. If the ball also left the penalty area, the referee should call handling and award the opponent a direct free kick just outside the penalty area. If the ball never crossed outside the penalty area, there’s no foul, even if most of the goalie’s body is outside the area.
The goalie makes a save and decides to punt the ball. She’s running and tosses the ball forward as she approaches the edge of the penalty area. When she punts the ball, the ball and goalie are both clearly outside the penalty area. Legal? Yes, because the goalie never handled the ball outside the penalty area. But if the goalie still had the ball in her hands as it crossed outside the penalty area, the referee should call handling.

Yellow cards:

A referee shows a yellow card when she cautions a player. In some leagues, a player who is cautioned may be required to sub out as a “cooling off” measure. If so, her team is allowed to replace her with another player.

There are seven reasons a referee will issue a yellow card:

Unsporting behavior: this covers a wide range of misbehavior and includes things such as reckless fouls, simulation (i.e., diving or otherwise acting), distracting an opponent or impeding an opponent’s throw-in
Dissent, either verbal or via non-verbal
Persistent infringement: either a player is responsible for multiple fouls, or a team is responsible for a pattern of fouling, such as repeated fouls targeting a specific opponent
Delaying the restart of play (time wasting): the classic example of this is a player kicking the ball away from a team who is about to take a free kick
Failing to respect the 10-yard rule on free kicks
Entering or re-entering the field without the referee’s permission
Deliberately leaving the field without the referee’s permission

Red cards:

A referee shows a red card when she ejects a player from the game. (The player is “sent off“.) The team whose player is sent off is not allowed to replace her, so the team plays short-handed the remainder of the game. (The player who received the red card may also be suspended for an additional game or games, depending on the nature of the red card.)

There are seven reasons a referee will issue a ref card:

Serious foul play (includes a dangerous tackle from behind)
Violent conduct
Spitting at an opponent or another person
Denying an opponent’s obvious goal scoring opportunity (DOGSO) via deliberate handling of the ball
Denying an opponent’s obvious goal scoring opportunity (DOGSO) via an offense that’s punishable by a free kick or a penalty kick
1. The laws related to fouls committed inside the penalty area in DOGSO situations were modified in 2016: An accidental tripping foul only results in a yellow card, but a deliberate foul still results in a red card.
Using offensive, insulting or abusive language
Receiving a second caution (yellow card) in the game

Substitutions:

Georgia youth rules allow what’s called “unlimited” substitutions. This means a player can sub out and return to the game later on multiple times. (In the pros, once a player subs out, she can’t return to the game.) But there are some limits with substitutions. Under Georgia youth soccer rules, a team is allowed to substitute players in these situations:

The attacking team can sub when it has a throw-in. (The defending team isn’t allowed to sub since they could use the opportunity to slow down the opponent’s attack.)
Either team can sub before any goal kick.
Either team can sub before any kick-off.
A team can sub an injured player if the ref stops play to check on the injured player. The opponent is also allowed to sub a player in this situation.

What typically happens is that a coach sends one or more subs to the waiting area at midfield just off the sideline. The subs can’t enter the game until the ref signals them on. If the ball doesn’t go out of play, the subs wait.

Related soccer terms:

AR (assistant referee):

These are the referees who are positioned behind the touch lines. In older days, an AR was called a linesman. Each AR carries a flag, but not a whistle.

The AR’s main duties are to monitor offside, and balls in or out of play. An AR is also allowed to signal to the center referee for fouls in her area.

You’ll occasionally hear a coach or player shout out “ref, check your AR” when they think a player is offside, and the center ref has not yet seen the AR’s signal. The proper AR signal for offside is to stand at attention with her flag raised straight up in the air.

U10 and younger games often only have a center referee, but no ARs.

Center (center referee):

This is the head referee. She positions herself on the field. In some leagues (Georgia High School is an example), games have two center referees and no ARs.

Younger age group modifications:

In many U8 or younger leagues, coaches serve as referees, with each coach refereeing half of the game.

Law 18 – common sense:

Soccer only has 17 laws. Good referees know about the mythical law 18, common sense.

An experienced referee adjusts to the needs / demands of the game she is calling, and may referee a U10 game differently than she would a high-level U17 game. Many decisions are purely judgment calls, and a referee may judge a play differently than a player, coach or spectator would judge it.

Shielding:

This refers to a player using her body to block an opponent from the ball. This is legal as long as the shielding player is within playing distance of the ball. It becomes impeding (also called obstruction) if the player who is shielding is not within playing distance of the ball.

What is considered “playing distance?” This is a referee judgment call: maybe 1-2 steps from the ball at youth levels, likely more steps at higher levels of play.

Stoppage time:

Referees may add extra playing time to a half to compensate for playing time lost due to substitutions, lengthy goal celebrations, injury or other delays. You don’t often see stoppage time added at the youth level, either due to time constraints related to field schedules, or inexperienced referees.

Tackling:

This is an attempt to separate the ball from a player, either knocking it away or winning it outright.

Soccer tackling isn’t like American football, where you try to take a player to the ground. In soccer, you try to take the ball. Physical contact is often included and can be allowed by the referee as long as she deems that the player making the tackle was playing the ball and not the opponent, and the tackle didn’t endanger the opponent. A “clean” tackle can cause the opponent to trip over the ball, without being a foul.

Slide tackles refer to tackles where a player slides into the ball in her attempt to dispossess the attacker. Slide tackles are legal as long as the tackling player makes contact with the ball first (she plays the ball, not the opponent), and doesn’t raise her tackling leg over the ball or sweep her back leg in an attempt to trip the player.

Soccer rule myths:

“You can’t play the ball when you’re on the ground“: Sure you can! Slide tackles and sliding shots on goal can be spectacular, and legal. It’s only a foul if an opponent is challenging for the same ball, and the referee thinks the player who is on the ground has put herself into a dangerous position by playing the ball while she’s on the ground. It’s up to the referee, but this usually means the player who is on the ground is playing “crab soccer” and not trying to get up after the challenge.

“The goalie can’t come out of her box“: Sure she can! See goalkeeper rules above.

“The referee can’t change her call”: (We’re talking youth soccer here, not high level soccer that may employ video review technology.) Sure she can! The referee can change her call anytime between the time she makes the original call and the time she restarts play. But once she restarts play, the call stands. You see this occasionally on goals awarded or not awarded relative to offside calls. The referee may consult with one of the assistant refs between the original call and restart, and reverse her call based on input from the assistant.