Soccer Rules Explained: A Quick Guide To All The Key Basics
Legendary Dutch footballer and coach Johan Cruyff — the architect of Total Football — once said "Playing football is very simple, but playing simple football is the hardest thing there is.” It's a nice quote that sums up both his philosophy, which revolved around short, simple pass-and-move football, and the broader accessibility of the sport, which can be played by pretty much anyone in the world with next to no equipment, other than a ball.
That being said, for newcomers to association football (otherwise known as soccer), there can sometimes be some difficult things to get used to. Football is a unique sport and some of the rules and regulations used by officials and lawmakers across the world can be a little confusing. That's why in this article we'll be giving you a brief guide to all the basic rules of soccer, explaining how the game works and what happens when players break any of the main soccer rules. By the time we're done, you should have a confident grasp of how the world's most popular sport operates.
What Are The Rules Of Soccer?
The official Laws of the Game were first set out on paper in 1863, at the inaugural meeting of the English Football Association (FA) in London. That meeting helped lay down all the basic foundations of the game, but things have changed on numerous occasions since then.
Examples of early changes to the original Laws of the Game may surprise many modern fans; for instance, outfield players were allowed to catch the ball until a law change in 1870, and sending-offs weren't introduced until 1881, with the penalty kick not brought in until a decade later. Throughout this article, we'll be fleshing out the specific role of each of these aspects of the game.
The most recent major alteration to the sport has been the introduction of Video Assistant Referees (VAR) across most top leagues around the world. In the Premier League, extensive debates have been caused by this new edition, and the implementation of VAR continues to be a hot topic. But the fact is, the job of the referee still revolves around the same basic laws that have been around for decades. Let's begin sketching out the basic rules of soccer.
The Most Basic Soccer Rules
Soccer is a game played by two teams of 11 players (10 outfield players and 1 goalkeeper). A round ball is used, and outfield players are not permitted to touch the ball with their hand or arm (goalkeepers can handle the ball, but only in their own defensive penalty box).
At each end of the rectangular soccer pitch, there is a goal which is defended by the respective goalkeepers. The aim of the game is to help your team score a goal by kicking, heading, or otherwise legally putting the ball in the back of the opposition's net. At the same time, you must try to stop the opposition team from scoring. Sounds simple enough, right?
How Long Is A Soccer Game?
A standard-length soccer game is 90 minutes long. This is divided into two halves of 45 minutes with a 15-minute break in the middle. This is the case both in professional soccer and in amateur and youth soccer leagues, and in pro soccer, during this time the main referee will be aided by two assistant referees (one stationed on each sideline) and a fourth official, managing the technical area.
During matches, the clock will run continuously, so in order to account for time lost during stoppages for free kicks, fouls, injuries, bookings, and substitutions, referees will add a certain amount of stoppage time at the end of each half. This could be anything from 1 minute to 10 minutes, depending on the number of stoppages. Taking this into account and considering the 15-minute half time break, most soccer matches will finish around two hours after the initial kick-off.
How Big Is A Soccer Field?
In the US, the field of play on which a soccer match takes place is usually called the "soccer field", but another word used more widely in Europe is "pitch". The soccer pitch is a large rectangle space marked out by white lines, with outer markings, two penalty areas and six yard boxes, a centre circle, a halfway line and corner arcs all marked out clearly to help officials make decisions.
According to the International Football Association Board (IFAB), full-size soccer pitches must be between "100-130 yards in length" and "anywhere from 50-100 yards in width". At international level, regulations are a bit more specific, with the standard pitch length being 110-120 yards long and 70 to 80 yards wide.
Once the players have walked out onto that freshly marked pitch, how does the game begin?
The Kick-Off
Every soccer match begins with a kick-off. The two teams will line up in their positions on opposing halves of the pitch, and the referee will initiate a coin toss between the two team captains to determine which team will begin play. The team that wins the toss will have the choice of either taking kick-off or choosing which end of the pitch they attack towards during the first half.
After the referee blows their whistle to mark the beginning of the match, the team awarded the 'kick-off' will start play from a stationary position by passing the soccer ball to a teammate from the centre circle. At the start of the second half, the opposing team will take the kick-off, and the teams will change ends to ensure fairness.
Every time a goal is conceded in a soccer match, the team who conceded will then restart play by taking another kick-off from the centre circle.
Set Pieces
In soccer, the term 'set piece' refers to the action of playing the ball back into open play from a dead ball situation. This must happen each time a shot, cross, pass, tackle or interception leaves the field of play (whether at the side of the pitch or at either goal line). There are a variety of different types of set pieces, which we'll outline below.
Goal Kicks
Goal kicks are given when the ball exits the field of play via the goal line, after touching an attacking player last. Here, the goalie will distribute the ball from their six-yard line. Crucially, goal kicks won't be awarded when the ball exits the goal line by going into the net — when a goal is scored, a kick-off will then be taken by the opposition team.
Corner Kicks
Corner kicks are awarded when the ball leaves the field of play via the end goal line after last touching a defensive player, rather than an attacker. For this type of set piece, an attacking player will kick the ball back into open play with a from a stationary position either in the left or right corner of the pitch, in a designated corner arc zone.
Free Kicks
Each time a foul is committed on the soccer pitch outside the penalty area, a free kick is awarded to the team who were fouled. Free kicks should be taken from the spot where the foul was given, and the ball must be in a stationary position before a player restarts play by kicking the ball to another player on their team.
There are two types of free kick: direct and indirect. For a direct kick, players are allowed to shoot directly on goal, whereas for an indirect kick they must first play the ball to a teammate. You can find out more about the differences between direct and indirect free kicks here.
Throw-ins
Throw-ins are awarded every time the ball goes out of play on either side of the pitch. When this happens, the opponents of the player who last touched the ball before it exited the field will be awarded the throw-in. They'll take it from the spot at which the ball left the pitch.
Penalties
Attacking teams are awarded a penalty kick when one of their players is fouled by an opponent inside the opposition penalty area. The penalty kick will give one chosen attacking player an opportunity to shoot on goal from the penalty spot, 12 yards out. Only the goalkeeper will be in the way of them bagging a goal for their team.
Offsides
The offside rule is a measure designed to prevent attacking players from gaining an unfair advantage by positioning themselves behind the defensive line. It states that "during a move, an attacking player, when in the opposition half, must have at least two opposition players, including the goalkeeper, between him and the opposition goal when a pass is being played to him."
If a player is beyond the opposition defensive line when the ball is played to them, they are offside. At this point, the assistant referee stationed on the touchline at this player's end of the pitch will raise their flag to call for offside and the opposition will be awarded a free kick. To avoid being offside, players should time their run so that as the ball is passed to them before they pass beyond the defensive line. They can then collect the ball in space in an advanced position bearing down on goal.
It's also worth noting that all a player has to do to be called offside is interfere with play. Whether it's getting in the way of a defender's line of sight or impacting the defender's ability to play the ball by holding or touching them, attackers don't always have to touch the ball to be judged offside. When an offside is given, the opposition team gets an indirect free kick from the position where the offence occured.
How Are Players Punished For Fouls?
As well as having a direct or indirect free kick or penalty awarded to the other team, players can receive individual punishments after committing a foul.
Yellow Cards
When a player or a member of a team's coaching staff commits an offence that the referee deems to be serious, the player can receive an official caution in the form of a yellow card. The ref will note the awarding of the card, otherwise known as a 'booking', in their notebook, and the player will then have to tread carefully. Yellow card offences can include:
- Unsafe or reckless play
- Disrespecting opponents
- Showing dissent, for instance protesting or disagreeing publicly with an official's decision
- Improper celebrations, i.e. removing your shirt or entering spectator areas
- Timewasting
- Deliberately leaving the field of play without the referee's permission
Red Cards
If a player is handed two separate yellow cards by the referee during a match, soccer rules dictate that they must then be awarded a red card. When a red card is given, a player is sent off the field of play for good and their team must compete with one player less for the rest of that match. Straight red cards (aka when a player hasn't already been booked) can also be given for serious fouls and offences. Red card offences include:
- Serious foul play
- Violent conduct
- The use of offensive, insulting or abusive language
- Denying the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity with a deliberate handball
- Denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity to an opponent moving towards the player's goal by an offence punishable by a free kick or penalty kick
- Receiving a second yellow card in the same match
It's a serious matter when a red card is awarded, and the offending player will typically receive either a one-match ban or a three-match ban depending on the nature of the offence.
As you will have seen throughout this article, there are a huge amount of different rules for a referee to enforce throughout a 90-minute soccer match. Because of the difficulty of the job and the intense pressure top officials face from fans, players and coaches, those officiating at the highest level of the game are well rewarded for their efforts. Check out our guide to Premier League referee salaries for more information on this subject.