Laws of the Game 26-27
The 17 Laws of the Game for 2026-27, read clause by clause: referees, cards, restarts and the eight-second goalkeeper law that is reshaping time-wasting.
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.
2026-10-18
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.
2026-10-18
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.
2026-10-18
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.
2026-10-18
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
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
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
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
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
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
Law 14 The Penalty Kick: Procedure, Goalkeeper and Retakes
Eleven metres, a moving goalkeeper and an encroaching team-mate: what Law 14 allows, what it forbids and when a kick is retaken.
2026-10-18
Law 15 The Throw-in: Technique, Position and Sanctions
Both hands, feet on the ground, ball behind the head: the throw-in is the simplest restart and the one most often done wrong.
2026-10-18
Law 16 The Goal Kick: When the Ball Is Back in Play
The ball is in play the moment it is kicked and moves, and opponents must be outside the penalty area. What changed and why.
2026-10-18
Law 17 The Corner Kick: Arc, Delivery and Goalkeeper Contact
The one-metre arc, the ball in play rule and the goalkeeper contact clause that turns corners into VAR decisions.
2026-10-18
Law 11 Offside in Full: Position, Moment and Active Play
Offside is not about where a player stands alone: it is about the moment of the pass and what the player then does.
2026-10-18
New Football Laws 2026-27: What Has Actually Changed
A new edition of the Laws arrives every summer, and most of it is continuity rather than revolution. Here is what the 2026-27 lawbook really changes.
2026-09-24
The 17 Laws of the Game Explained in Plain English
Seventeen laws run every match on earth. This is the whole lawbook in one place, with the clause that matters most in each one.
2026-09-18
The Eight-Second Goalkeeper Rule: How the Count Works Now
Referees no longer wait for the keeper to dawdle: they raise an arm and count the last five seconds out loud. Break the limit and it is a corner.
2026-09-10
Law 5 Referee Powers: Duties, Discretion and the Final Word
Law 5 is the shortest route to understanding why a referee can change a decision, stop a match or wave play on. It is also the most misunderstood.
2026-08-29
Law 12 Fouls and Misconduct: When the Cards Come Out
Most arguments about cards are really arguments about three words: careless, reckless and excessive. Law 12 is where they are defined.
2026-08-20