IFAB · Edition 2026/27
Browse the Laws
All 348 structured sections in the currently active IFAB corpus.
Notes on the Laws6 sections
General modifications4 sections
Time-limited substitution protocol4 sections
Off-field treatment and assessment protocol6 sections
Throw-in and goal-kick countdown protocol3 sections
Only the captain guidelines5 sections
Temporary dismissals12 sections
Temporary dismissalsPage 32 ↗Reference to temporary dismissals is found in:Page 32 ↗5.3 Powers and duties – Disciplinary actionPage 32 ↗Players onlyPage 33 ↗Referee’s signalPage 33 ↗Temporary dismissal periodPage 33 ↗Temporary dismissal areaPage 34 ↗Offences during a temporary dismissal periodPage 34 ↗Further disciplinary actionPage 34 ↗Temporary dismissal systemsPage 34 ↗System A – temporary dismissal for all cautionable (YC) offencesPage 34 ↗System B – temporary dismissal for some cautionable (YC) offences*Page 35 ↗
Return substitutes3 sections
Concussion substitutions7 sections
Law 1 The Field of Play20 sections
Law 1 The Field of PlayPage 45 ↗1. Field surfacePage 45 ↗2. Field markingsPage 45 ↗3. DimensionsPage 47 ↗4. Dimensions for international matchesPage 47 ↗5. The goal areaPage 48 ↗6. The penalty areaPage 48 ↗7. The corner areaPage 48 ↗8. FlagpostsPage 49 ↗9. The technical areaPage 49 ↗10. GoalsPage 50 ↗SafetyPage 50 ↗11. Goal line technology (GLT)Page 50 ↗Principles of GLTPage 52 ↗Requirements and specifications of GLTPage 52 ↗12. Commercial advertisingPage 52 ↗13. Logos and emblemsPage 53 ↗14. Video assistant referees (VARs)Page 53 ↗Video operation room (VOR)Page 53 ↗Referee review area (RRA)Page 53 ↗
Law 2 The Ball4 sections
Law 3 The Players16 sections
Law 3 The PlayersPage 59 ↗1. Number of playersWeb amendment ↗2. Number of substitutionsPage 59 ↗Official competitionsPage 59 ↗Extra timePage 60 ↗Other matchesPage 60 ↗Return substitutionsPage 60 ↗Additional permanent concussion substitutionsPage 61 ↗3. Substitution procedurePage 61 ↗4. Changing the goalkeeperPage 62 ↗5. Offences and sanctionsPage 62 ↗6. Players and substitutes sent offPage 63 ↗7. Extra persons on the field of playPage 63 ↗8. Player outside the field of playPage 64 ↗9. Goal scored with an extra person on the field of playPage 65 ↗10. Team captainPage 65 ↗
Law 4 The Players’ Equipment12 sections
Law 4 The Players’ EquipmentPage 67 ↗1. SafetyPage 67 ↗2. Compulsory equipmentPage 67 ↗3. ColoursPage 68 ↗4. Other equipmentPage 68 ↗Head coversPage 68 ↗Electronic communicationPage 69 ↗Electronic performance and tracking systems (EPTS)Page 69 ↗5. Slogans, statements, images and advertisingPage 69 ↗PrinciplesPage 70 ↗Interpreting the LawPage 70 ↗6. Offences and sanctionsPage 71 ↗
Law 5 The Referee16 sections
Law 5 The RefereePage 73 ↗1. The authority of the refereePage 73 ↗2. Decisions of the refereePage 73 ↗3. Powers and dutiesPage 74 ↗AdvantagePage 74 ↗Disciplinary actionPage 74 ↗InjuriesPage 75 ↗Outside interferencePage 76 ↗4. Video assistant referee (VAR)Page 77 ↗Reviews after play has restartedPage 77 ↗5. Referee’s equipmentPage 77 ↗Compulsory equipmentPage 77 ↗Other equipmentPage 78 ↗6. Referee signalsPage 78 ↗Refer to graphics for approved referee signals.Page 78 ↗7. Liability of match officialsPage 81 ↗
Law 6 The Other Match Officials10 sections
Law 6 The Other Match OfficialsPage 85 ↗1. Assistant refereesPage 86 ↗2. Fourth officialPage 86 ↗3. Additional assistant refereesPage 87 ↗4. Reserve assistant refereePage 87 ↗5. Video match officialsPage 87 ↗6. Assistant referee signalsPage 88 ↗Refer to graphics for approvedPage 88 ↗assistant referee signals.Page 88 ↗7. Additional assistant referee signalsPage 91 ↗
Law 7 The Duration of the Match6 sections
Law 8 The Start and Restart of Play7 sections
Law 9 The Ball in and out of Play3 sections
Law 10 Determining the Outcome of a Match9 sections
Law 10 Determining the Outcome of a MatchPage 103 ↗1. Goal scoredPage 103 ↗2. Winning teamPage 103 ↗3. Penalties (penalty shoot-out)Page 103 ↗ProcedurePage 105 ↗Before penalties (penalty shoot-out) startPage 105 ↗During penalties (penalty shoot-out)Page 105 ↗Subject to the conditions explained below, both teams take five kicksPage 106 ↗Substitutions and sendings-off during penalties (penalty shoot-out)Page 107 ↗
Law 11 Offside6 sections
Law 12 Fouls and Misconduct26 sections
Law 12 Fouls and MisconductPage 115 ↗1. Direct free kickPage 115 ↗Handling the ballPage 116 ↗2. Indirect free kickPage 118 ↗Playing in a dangerous mannerPage 118 ↗Impeding the progress of an opponent without contactPage 119 ↗3. Corner kickPage 119 ↗4. Disciplinary actionPage 119 ↗Players, substitutes and substituted playersPage 120 ↗Delaying the restart of play to show a cardPage 120 ↗AdvantagePage 120 ↗Cautionable offencesPage 121 ↗Cautions for unsporting behaviourPage 122 ↗Celebration of a goalPage 122 ↗Delaying the restart of playPage 123 ↗Sending-off offencesPage 123 ↗Denying a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity (DOGSO)Page 124 ↗Serious foul playPage 124 ↗Violent conductPage 125 ↗Team officialsPage 125 ↗WarningPage 125 ↗CautionPage 125 ↗Sending-offPage 126 ↗Offences where an object (or the ball) is thrownPage 127 ↗5. Restart of play after fouls and misconductPage 127 ↗HandballPage 116 ↗
Law 13 Free Kicks6 sections
Law 14 The Penalty Kick6 sections
Law 15 The Throw-in3 sections
Law 16 The Goal Kick3 sections
Law 17 The Corner Kick3 sections
VAR protocol12 sections
VAR protocolPage 153 ↗1. PrinciplesPage 153 ↗2. Reviewable decisions/incidentsPage 154 ↗3. PracticalitiesPage 156 ↗4. ProceduresPage 156 ↗Original decisionPage 156 ↗CheckPage 157 ↗ReviewPage 158 ↗Final decisionPage 159 ↗Players, substitutes and team officialsPage 159 ↗Match validityPage 160 ↗Incapacitated VAR, AVAR or replay operatorPage 160 ↗
Football bodies5 sections
Football terms67 sections
Football termsPage 196 ↗AbandonPage 196 ↗Additional timePage 196 ↗AdvantagePage 196 ↗Assessment of injured playerPage 196 ↗Away goals rulePage 196 ↗BrutalityPage 197 ↗CarelessPage 197 ↗CautionPage 197 ↗ChallengePage 197 ↗Charge (an opponent)Page 197 ↗Concussion substitutionPage 197 ↗‘Cooling’ breakPage 197 ↗DeceivePage 198 ↗DeliberatePage 198 ↗Direct free kickPage 198 ↗DiscretionPage 198 ↗DissentPage 198 ↗DistractPage 198 ↗‘Drinks’ breakPage 198 ↗Dropped ballPage 198 ↗Electronic performance and tracking system (EPTS)Page 199 ↗Endanger the safety of an opponentPage 199 ↗Excessive forcePage 199 ↗Extra timePage 199 ↗FeintingPage 199 ↗Field of play (pitch)Page 199 ↗Goal line technology (GLT)Page 199 ↗Holding offencePage 200 ↗Hybrid systemPage 200 ↗ImpedePage 200 ↗Indirect free kickPage 200 ↗InterceptPage 200 ↗KickPage 200 ↗NegligiblePage 200 ↗OffencePage 201 ↗Offensive, insulting or abusive language/action(s)Page 201 ↗Outside agentPage 201 ↗PenalisePage 201 ↗Penalties (penalty shoot-out)Page 201 ↗Penalty shoot-outPage 201 ↗PlayPage 201 ↗Playing distancePage 201 ↗Quick free kickPage 202 ↗RecklessPage 202 ↗RestartPage 202 ↗Restart positionPage 202 ↗SanctionPage 202 ↗SavePage 202 ↗Semi-automated offside technology (SAOT)Page 202 ↗Sending-offPage 203 ↗Serious foul playPage 203 ↗ShinguardPage 203 ↗ShirtPage 203 ↗SignalPage 203 ↗SimulationPage 203 ↗Spirit of the gamePage 203 ↗SuspendPage 203 ↗TacklePage 204 ↗Team listPage 204 ↗Team officialPage 204 ↗Technical areaPage 204 ↗Technical staffPage 204 ↗Temporary dismissalPage 204 ↗Undue interferencePage 204 ↗Unsporting behaviourPage 204 ↗Violent conductPage 205 ↗
Referee terms12 sections
Referee termsPage 206 ↗Match official(s)Page 206 ↗RefereePage 206 ↗Other match officialsPage 206 ↗‘On-field’ match officialsPage 206 ↗• Assistant refereePage 206 ↗• Fourth officialPage 206 ↗• Additional assistant referee (AAR)Page 206 ↗• Reserve assistant refereePage 207 ↗‘Video’ match officials (VMOs)Page 207 ↗• Video assistant referee (VAR)Page 207 ↗• Assistant video assistant referee (AVAR)Page 207 ↗
Introduction1 sections
Positioning, movement and teamwork17 sections
Positioning, movement and teamworkPage 210 ↗1. General positioning and movementPage 210 ↗Recommendations:Page 210 ↗Positioning of assistant referees and additional assistant refereesPage 212 ↗2. Positioning and teamworkPage 213 ↗ConsultationPage 213 ↗Corner kickPage 213 ↗F ree kickPage 214 ↗Goal/no goalPage 216 ↗Goal kickPage 217 ↗Goalkeeper releasing the ballPage 218 ↗Kick-offPage 219 ↗Penalties (penalty shoot-out)Page 220 ↗Penalty kickPage 221 ↗Mass confrontationPage 222 ↗Required distancePage 222 ↗SubstitutionPage 222 ↗
Body language, communication and whistle21 sections
Body language, communication and whistlePage 224 ↗1. RefereesPage 224 ↗Body languagePage 224 ↗SignalsPage 224 ↗WhistlePage 224 ↗2. Assistant refereesPage 225 ↗Beep signalPage 225 ↗Electronic communication systemPage 225 ↗Flag techniquePage 226 ↗GesturesPage 226 ↗SignalsPage 226 ↗Corner kick/goal kickPage 226 ↗FoulsPage 227 ↗Fouls inside the penalty areaPage 227 ↗Fouls outside the penalty areaPage 228 ↗Goal – no goalPage 228 ↗OffsidePage 228 ↗Penalty kickPage 228 ↗SubstitutionPage 228 ↗Throw-inPage 229 ↗3. Additional assistant refereesPage 229 ↗