Soccer rules in plain English

The rule people forget is about the lines. A line is part of the area it marks. A ball sitting on the touchline is in play. A foul on the edge of the penalty area line is a penalty. A ball resting on the goal line is not a goal, however far it’s rolled over.

Law 12 is the one that starts arguments, but its logic is simple. The referee asks two questions about a challenge: was it an offence, and how bad was it?

Direct and indirect free kicks. Kicks, trips, pushes, charges, holding, biting, spitting and handball are direct free kick offences, and you can score straight from them. Indirect free kicks are for the technical offences: offside, dangerous play without contact, impeding an opponent without contact, dissent, and the goalkeeper picking up a team-mate’s deliberate kick or throw-in. The referee keeps an arm straight up until someone else touches the ball. If an indirect free kick goes straight in, it’s a goal kick, not a goal.

Handball. Not every touch counts. It’s an offence when a player deliberately handles the ball, or makes their body unnaturally bigger with their arm and the ball hits it. An attacker who scores with their hand or arm, even accidentally, or straight after the ball has hit it, has the goal ruled out. If the ball hits a team-mate’s arm by accident earlier in the move, the goal stands.

The goalkeeper’s eight seconds. A keeper who holds the ball in their hands for more than eight seconds gives away a corner. The referee counts the last five seconds down with a raised hand, so nobody is surprised.

Cards. Two yellows in the same match make a red. A sent-off player can’t be replaced, so the team plays the rest of the game with one fewer. Youth, veterans, disability and grassroots competitions can use temporary dismissals (sin bins) for some cautions instead. Whether yours does is up to your association.

Advantage. If stopping play would help the team that was fouled less than playing on, the referee lets it go and signals with both arms forward. If the advantage doesn’t come within a few seconds, they can go back and give the free kick. A card for the original foul can still come at the next stoppage.

The current Laws have applied since 1 July 2026. Most of the changes are aimed at time-wasting, and the ones you’ll notice in a community match are these:

• 10 seconds to leave for a substitution. Once the substitution is signalled, the player coming off has ten seconds. Take longer and the substitute can’t come on until the first stoppage after a minute of play.
• One minute off after treatment. An outfield player treated on the field, or who stops play with an injury, has to stay off for a minute after the restart. The exception is a player injured by a foul that gets a card.
• Five-second countdowns on restarts. A throw-in that isn’t taken in time goes to the opponents. A goal kick that isn’t taken in time becomes a corner to the opponents.
• A minimum of seven players. A match can’t start or carry on with fewer, and the team responsible for an abandonment can, in principle, forfeit.
• Covered accessories. Items that aren’t dangerous can be worn if they’re safely covered. Dangerous ones have to come off, and taping them isn’t enough.
• Penalty double touch. If the kicker accidentally touches the ball twice and it goes in, the kick is retaken. If it doesn’t go in, the other team gets an indirect free kick.

“Only the captain may approach the referee” is still a guideline this season. It becomes compulsory in every competition from 1 July 2027.

Football Australia changes the Laws for children on purpose, so younger players get more touches, more goals and less standing around. The MiniRoos formats run from under 6 to under 11:

MiniRoos games don’t publish scores or ladders, and every player gets equal game time. Our MiniRoos rules by age guide has the pitch, ball and goal sizes for each age, and the equal playing time calculator works out the substitutions for you.

• “It’s on the line, so it’s out.” It isn’t. All of the ball has to be over all of the line.
• “It came off the defender, so he’s onside.” Only if the defender played it deliberately. A deflection or a save doesn’t reset offside.
• “Handball! It hit his hand!” Contact alone isn’t an offence. It has to be deliberate, or the arm has to make the body unnaturally bigger.
• “The keeper can pick it up, it was a header back.” True. The back-pass rule only covers a deliberate kick and a throw-in from a team-mate. A header, chest or knee back to the keeper can be picked up.
• “You can’t score from a goal kick.” You can, against the other team. Same for a kick-off, a corner and a direct free kick.
• “The ref hit the ball, so it’s a drop ball.” Only if that touch leads to a goal, gives the ball to the other team or starts a promising attack. Otherwise play carries on.
• “He was already booked, so that’s a red.” Only for a second cautionable offence. A careless foul by a player on a yellow is just a free kick.