Football rules for beginners

How a match works

• Two teams of 11 players, one of them the goalkeeper. Score by getting the whole ball over the goal line between the posts and under the crossbar.
• A match is two halves of 45 minutes, plus added time for stoppages. Knockout matches may add extra time (2 x 15 minutes) and then penalties.
• Only the goalkeeper may handle the ball, and only inside their own penalty area. Everyone else plays with feet, head and body.

Restarts: throw-ins, goal kicks and corners

• Throw-in: the ball goes out over a side line. A player of the other team throws it in with both hands from behind and over the head, both feet on the ground.
• Goal kick: the attacking team last touched the ball before it crossed the goal line (not a goal). The defending team kicks it from inside its goal area.
• Corner kick: the defending team last touched it before it crossed its own goal line. The attackers kick it from the corner.
• Goalkeeper time limit: since 2025/26, a goalkeeper holding the ball in the hands for more than 8 seconds gives the other team a corner kick. The referee counts down the last five seconds.

Offside in plain words

An attacker is offside if, at the moment a team-mate plays the ball forward to them, they are in the opponents' half and nearer the goal line than both the ball and the second-last defender (the goalkeeper usually counts as one of the two).

• Being in an offside position is not an offence by itself; it only counts if the player then takes part in play.
• There is no offside from a throw-in, goal kick or corner kick, or in your own half.
• The punishment is an indirect free kick to the defending team.

Fouls, free kicks and cards

• Kicking, tripping, pushing, holding, charging recklessly or handling the ball deliberately are fouls. The other team gets a free kick; opponents stand at least 9.15 m away.
• A foul by a defender inside their own penalty area gives a penalty kick: one shot from the penalty spot, 11 m out, against the goalkeeper.
• Yellow card: a caution. Two yellows in one match make a red.
• Red card: sent off; the team plays with one player fewer for the rest of the match.
• In many top competitions, the VAR (video assistant referee) can recommend a review of goals, penalties, red cards and mistaken identity.

Tips for beginners

• Use the inside of your foot for short, accurate passes.
• Keep your head up when you have the ball, and look before you receive it.
• Move into space after you pass: football is about the other 89 minutes when you don't have the ball.
• Wear shin guards; they are compulsory in official matches.