The WhistleRulebook
Rulebook 2026-27

Football's laws, VAR and refereeing — explained properly

Every decision starts somewhere in the lawbook. We read the 17 Laws, the VAR protocol and the referee's brief, then explain them in plain English for supporters, coaches and anyone who has ever shouted at a screen.

The Whistle · Laws of the Game 2026-27 · England
THE WHISTLELAWIFAB · VAR PROTOCOL
17 LAWS · ONE BOOK
Football law illustration for law-1-the-field-of-play
Laws of the Game 26-27

Law 1: The Field of Play, Measured

Every match starts with a rectangle. Law 1 sets its dimensions, its lines and the marks that decide penalties and goal kicks.

THE LAWWHAT CHANGEDMATCH EXAMPLES
Football law illustration for law-2-the-ball
Laws of the Game 26-27

Law 2: The Ball, and What Makes It Legal

Circumference, weight, pressure and the dropped ball after a burst: Law 2 in the numbers the officials actually use.

THE LAWWHAT CHANGEDMATCH EXAMPLES
Football law illustration for law-3-the-players
Laws of the Game 26-27

Law 3: How Many Players and How Many Subs

Eleven to start, seven to continue, five substitutions from three opportunities: the numbers and procedures in Law 3.

THE LAWWHAT CHANGEDMATCH EXAMPLES
Football law illustration for law-4-players-equipment
Laws of the Game 26-27

Law 4: Players' Equipment and What Is Banned

Five compulsory items, a total ban on jewellery and strict rules on colours: what Law 4 allows a player to wear.

THE LAWWHAT CHANGEDMATCH EXAMPLES

The Laws · IFAB 2026-27The 17 Laws, statute by statute

Every decision on a pitch traces back to one clause in this book. Pick a law and read what it actually says, with the restarts, the cards and the match examples that follow from it.

1The Field of Play2The Ball3The Players4Players' Equipment5The Referee6Other Match Officials7Duration of the Match8Start and Restart of Play9Ball In and Out of Play10Determining the Outcome11Offside12Fouls and Misconduct13Free Kicks14The Penalty Kick15The Throw-in16The Goal Kick17The Corner Kick
Empty Premier League stadium seats photographed from the touchline before kick-off
Controversy of the week

Tottenham vs Liverpool VAR: Anatomy of a Breakdown

The mistake was not a wrong line or a bad camera angle. It was a sentence spoken too late, and it changed how reviews are run.

Controversies · 2026-09-22 · Read the full breakdown →

ExplainersAll articles →

Football law illustration for law-7-duration-of-the-match
Laws of the Game 26-27

Law 7: Duration, Added Time and the Last Kick

Forty-five minutes each way is only the start: Law 7 governs the interval, added time and a penalty taken with the clock gone.

2026-10-18
Football law illustration for law-8-start-and-restart-of-play
Laws of the Game 26-27

Law 8: Kick-Offs and Dropped Balls

Coin toss, kick-off geometry and the dropped ball: the restarts that start and resume every match under Law 8.

2026-10-18
Football law illustration for law-9-ball-in-and-out-of-play
Laws of the Game 26-27

Law 9: When the Ball Is In and Out of Play

Whole ball, whole line: Law 9 decides when play is live, and what happens when the ball hits the referee.

2026-10-18
Football law illustration for law-10-determining-the-outcome
Laws of the Game 26-27

Law 10: Goals, Winners and Shoot-Outs

From the whole ball crossing the line to the fifth kick of a shoot-out: how Law 10 decides who wins a match.

2026-10-18
Football law illustration for law-6-other-match-officials
Laws of the Game 26-27

Law 6 Other Match Officials: Assistants, Fourth Official and VAR

Who else is making the call: assistant referees, the fourth official, the reserve assistant and the video team, with their exact powers and limits.

2026-10-18
Football law illustration for law-13-free-kicks
Laws of the Game 26-27

Law 13 Free Kicks: Direct, Indirect and the Wall

Direct and indirect free kicks, the 9.15 m wall distance and the trick that turns a free kick into an indirect one.

2026-10-18

VAR ExplainedAll articles →

Referee monitor on the touchline viewed from a distance at a stadium
VAR Explained

The Clear and Obvious Error Test: Why VAR Stays Silent

Two words in the protocol do most of the work: clear and obvious. They are also the reason a decision you hate can survive a video review.

2026-09-14
Camera operator filming a football match from a gantry high above the pitch
VAR Explained

The VAR Protocol, Step by Step: Check, Review, Call

Every review follows the same sequence, and it starts before anyone in the stadium knows a decision is being examined at all.

2026-09-06
Ring of tracking cameras mounted around a stadium roof above a floodlit pitch
VAR Explained

Semi-Automated Offside Technology, Explained Simply

Semi-automated offside does not replace the referee. It hands the VAR an offside line far faster than a manual drawing, and the decision stays human.

2026-08-26

ControversiesAll articles →

Match ball resting on the goal line on wet grass under stadium floodlights
Controversies

The Beach Ball Goal: Outside Interference and the Law

An inflatable ball, a deflection and a goal that stood. The law had no answer, so the law was changed.

2026-09-08
Defensive wall of players standing on the edge of the penalty area photographed from behind
Controversies

The Handball Law Changes: How One Rule Kept Swinging

No law has changed direction as often as handball. Each revision answered one complaint and created the next.

2026-08-31
Referee signal with arm raised seen from the stands behind a crowd barrier
Controversies

The VAR High Bar Debate: Why Fans and Referees Never Agree

The argument about VAR is rarely about technology. It is about how much uncertainty a league is willing to accept.

2026-08-18

Referee ProfilesAll articles →

Referee arm signalling a free kick photographed at close range against a green pitch
Referee Profiles

Anthony Taylor Referee Profile: Game Management and the Craft

Managing a match is mostly talking: early words, clear signals and a whistle that arrives at the right moment.

2026-09-02
Stopwatch and referee notebook on a table in the dressing room before a match
Referee Profiles

Craig Pawson Referee Style: The Quiet Art of Control

The best controlled matches are the ones nobody talks about afterwards. That is not luck, it is method.

2026-08-22
Grassroots football pitch with white corner flags photographed on an overcast morning
Referee Profiles

Referee Promotion Pathway: From Non-League to the Premier League

There is no draft and no transfer window for referees. Promotion is earned one assessment at a time, over years.

2026-08-10

Handball & Offside GuidesAll articles →

Goal area with the offside line marked in fresh white paint on green grass
Handball & Offside Guides

Offside Rule Explained: Position, Phases and Judgement

Being in an offside position is not an offence. What happens next is what turns a position into a free kick.

2026-09-12
Penalty spot and penalty arc photographed on a freshly mown pitch
Handball & Offside Guides

Handball in the Box Rule: How Referees and VAR Decide

Inside the box, the same arm movement can mean a penalty or nothing at all. The difference is written into the law, step by step.

2026-08-28
Assistant referee raising a flag on the far touchline of an empty stadium
Handball & Offside Guides

Offside Interfering With Play: The Calls That Confuse Everyone

Three phrases in Law 11 decide almost every disputed offside: interfering with play, challenging an opponent and gaining an advantage.

2026-08-12