What Are the FIFA Soccer Rules?

Players running on a soccer field

Soccer, known as football outside of the United States, is a popular pastime the world over. Official rules for the game are laid out by an organization known as the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, or FIFA. FIFA’s soccer rules, known as the Laws of the Game, serve as the blueprint for soccer games worldwide. These rules are often modified in order to keep up with soccer trends.

Field

FIFA’s official rules state that soccer matches can be held on either natural or artificial turf. If the turf is artificial, it must be green. The field needs to be a rectangular shape and feature boundary lines along the perimeter; the longer lines are touch lines, while the shorter lines are goal lines. The field also needs a halfway line, which divides the field in two and runs parallel with the goal lines. The midpoint of the halfway line is marked with a circle. The fields should not be smaller than 50 yards by 100 yards, but should not exceed 100 yards by 130 yards.

Ball

The ball used in official gameplay has to be spherical in shape and made of leather. The circumference of the ball should be between 27 inches and 28 inches. Each ball should weigh between 14 ounces and 16 ounces when the match begins. During a match, the ball can only be changed at the referee’s discretion, and only should the ball break or become otherwise defective. If this happens, the match is stopped and the ball is replaced with a new ball put back into the spot where the defective ball was last played.

Players

Each match requires two teams of no less than seven but no more than 11 players, including the goalkeeper. Substitutes for team members can be on standby; opponents decide on between three to seven substitutes. For a person to qualify as a substitute, their name must be given to the referee before the match begins.

Equipment

Players cannot wear any objects that could prove to be a safety hazard. This means that any jewelry such as necklaces or rings should be removed prior to the start of the match. Uniforms should consist of a sleeved jersey, shorts, socks, shinguards and footwear. Teams must have distinguishing colors in their uniform so that they can be told apart, as well as separating them from the goalkeeper and referees.

Match Length

Official soccer matches consist of two periods. Each period should last 45 minutes unless both teams and the referee settle on a different length of time at the start of the match. Half-time can be called, but should not last longer than 15 minutes.

Game Play

A match is begun with a coin toss to see which team will take which goal during the first half. The winning team picks the goal, while the other team kicks off the match. At the end of the first period, teams switch goals. The kick-off occurs at the center mark. Once the ball is in play, it cannot be touched by hand. At the end of the second period, the team with the most points wins. In the event that the teams are tied, a game moves into overtime. During overtime, the first team to score a goal wins.

References

• FIFA: The Laws of the Game 2010/2011
• Soccer Help: Soccer Rules