# Law 8: The Start and Restart of Play (FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game)

Futsal · Law 8: The Start and Restart of Play · Insporta Book (https://book.insporta.app/futsal/laws/law-8-the-start-and-restart-of-play/)

Law 8 covers how play starts and restarts: the kick-off, which opens both periods and both periods of extra time and restarts play after a goal, including the coin toss, ends and benches, who takes it after a goal, the positioning and ball-in-play rules for every kick-off, a direct own-goal from a kick-off, and the offences and sanctions for a mishandled kick-off; and the dropped ball, used whenever the referees stop play and no other restart applies, including its basic and penalty-area-line drop positions, the distance rule for other players, when it is in play, and the offences and sanctions for a mishandled or wrongly deflected drop.

## 8.81 The Start and Restart of Play

The kick-off's coin toss, ends, benches and after-a-goal procedure; its positioning rules and when the ball is in play, including a direct own-goal from a kick-off; its offences and sanctions alongside when a dropped ball is used instead; the dropped ball's basic and penalty-area-line positions and its distance rule; and the dropped ball's own offences and sanctions, closing with synthesis questions across both restarts.

### Test 1: Restarts overview and the kick-off procedure

- A kick-off starts both periods of the match and both periods of extra time, not just the second period, not only extra time, and not the match while excluding extra time. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 (introduction))
- A timeout is a pause a team official requests, not a way of restarting play; the kick-in, the corner kick and the goal clearance are all restarts Law 8 lists. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 (introduction))
- A dropped ball is specifically for when the referees stop play and the Law does not require one of the other listed restarts, not a time-based trigger, a fixed midpoint, or a disagreement between teams. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 (introduction))
- An offence while the ball is not in play does not change how play is restarted, so it does not convert the restart to a direct free kick, does not force a dropped ball, and has no effect on an earlier goal either. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 (introduction))
- A coin toss decides it, with the winner choosing which period to take the kick-off in, not an automatic home- or away-team rule, and not the previous meeting's scorer. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §1 (Kick-Off))
- By default the home team chooses the end to attack, unless competition regulations override it; the choice is not tied to the coin toss winner, bench position, or the visiting team by default. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §1 (Kick-Off))
- The second period's kick-off goes to the team that did not take the first one, not a repeat for the same team, not the losing side, and not decided by foul counts. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §1 (Kick-Off))
- Between periods the teams change ends and also switch benches so each stays on the defensive side, not ends alone, not a goalkeeper swap, and not staying put entirely. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §1 (Kick-Off))
- After any goal, the conceding team takes the kick-off regardless of the match history, not the scoring team itself, not whichever side is behind overall, and not a fresh coin toss. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §1 (Kick-Off))
- The coin toss only ever decides the very first kick-off; every kick-off after a goal follows the fixed conceding-team rule instead, not a repeated toss, not a split of ends versus kick-off between the two teams, and not a claim that chance never mattered at all. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §1 (Kick-Off))

### Test 2: Kick-off positioning and when the ball is in play

- Every player but the kicker must be in their own half at the kick-off, with no exception for nearby defenders, no free positioning by an onside rule (futsal has none), and no standing in the opponents' half. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §1 (Kick-Off))
- Opponents must stay at least 3 metres away until the ball is in play, not 5 or 1 metres, and not an unfixed distance defined by the centre circle. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §1 (Kick-Off))
- The ball must be stationary exactly on the centre mark, not merely somewhere inside the centre circle, not rolling, and not placed by a penalty area. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §1 (Kick-Off))
- The kick-off signal comes from whichever on-pitch referee is on the bench side, using the whistle, not the third referee's gesture, the timekeeper's acoustic signal, or a joint whistle from both referees. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §1 (Kick-Off))
- The ball is in play only once it is kicked and clearly moves, so a bare touch is not enough, crossing the centre circle is not the trigger, and a prior whistle alone does not start play either. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §1 (Kick-Off))
- A goal scored directly from the kick-off is valid, with no extra-touch requirement, no separate approval step, and no half-value rule in extra time. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §1 (Kick-Off))
- A kick-off that goes directly into the kicker's own goal is corrected with a corner kick to the opponents, not counted as a goal, not simply retaken, and not treated as a goal clearance. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §1 (Kick-Off))
- Being kicked and clearly moving is what puts the ball in play, not a minimum travel distance, a second player's touch, or crossing the halfway line. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §1 (Kick-Off))
- The kick-off waits until opponents retreat to the required 3 metres, since the distance is not merely advisory, does not itself earn the kicking team a free kick, and does not automatically trigger a caution. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §1 (Kick-Off))
- The two positioning rules are the kicker's team-mates staying in their own half and opponents keeping at least 3 metres away, not an even split across the halfway line, a 5-metre distance, or free positioning tied only to the ball. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §1 (Kick-Off))

### Test 3: Kick-off offences, and when a dropped ball is needed instead

- A second touch by the kicker before anyone else touches the ball is an indirect free kick to the opponents, not a direct one, not a plain retake, and not a caution followed by a retake. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §1 (Kick-Off))
- A handball on the kicker's second touch upgrades the sanction to a direct free kick, so it is not left as indirect, is not just about voiding a goal, and is not reduced to a caution with no free kick. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §1 (Kick-Off))
- Any other kick-off procedure offence is fixed with a plain retake, not an indirect or direct free kick, and not a forfeit of the kick-off. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §1 (Kick-Off))
- Encroachment is a procedural offence like any other, fixed by a retake, not an indirect or direct free kick, and not something left unsanctioned. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §1 (Kick-Off))
- A dropped ball needs both a stoppage by the referees and the absence of any other required restart, not captains' agreement, a time threshold, or a penalty-area location. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 (introduction))
- A ball out over the touchline has its own required restart, the kick-in, so a dropped ball is not used, is not a default for any stoppage, and is not a matter of an official's own preference. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 (introduction))
- One of the referees drops the ball for the player whose team had or would have had possession, not the timekeeper, not the captains, and not the fourth referee. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §2 (Dropped Ball))
- The fallback is the team that last touched the ball, not a home-team default, not the leading team, and not a random coin toss. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §2 (Dropped Ball))
- A kick-off retake is specific to a flawed kick-off, while a dropped ball is for a stoppage with no other required restart; the two are not interchangeable, not reversed, and not limited to one occurrence per match. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 (introduction))
- The named fix for a kick-off procedure offence is a plain retake, not a dropped ball, not an indirect free kick, and not restarting the whole period from a fresh coin toss. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §1 (Kick-Off))

### Test 4: The dropped ball: procedure and positioning

- The basic position is exactly where play was stopped, not the nearest touchline, not the centre mark, and not automatically at a penalty area's edge. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §2 (Dropped Ball))
- This specific case moves the drop to the penalty-area line nearest the ball's position, not the exact in-area spot, not the penalty spot, and not a neutral halfway-line compromise. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §2 (Dropped Ball))
- The attacking team's own player, the one who had or would have had possession, receives the ball, not a defending-team player, not the goalkeeper specifically, and not simply the nearest player. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §2 (Dropped Ball))
- Last touch stands in for undetermined possession and still triggers the special rule on its own, so it is not limited to clear possession, does not simply fall back to the basic position, and needs no separate confirmation step from each referee. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §2 (Dropped Ball))
- The dropped-ball distance is at least 2 metres, not the kick-off's 3 metres, not 1 metre, and not left undefined. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §2 (Dropped Ball))
- The 2-metre rule covers all other players from both teams, not just the non-receiving side, not just the receiving team's own players, and not a two-player exception. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §2 (Dropped Ball))
- The dropped ball is in play the moment it touches the pitch, not once it is actually kicked, not on a second bounce, and not on a second whistle. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §2 (Dropped Ball))
- Once in play, any player from either team may play the dropped ball, so it is not reserved for the intended receiver first, does not need a further waiting period, and is not restricted to the receiving team's own players. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §2 (Dropped Ball))
- The switch is triggered by the stoppage location, inside the defending team's own penalty area, not by which half is being played, the reason for the stoppage, or its distance from other players. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §2 (Dropped Ball))
- The two restarts share the same idea, keeping other players away, but at different distances: 2 metres for a dropped ball versus 3 for a kick-off, not one restart lacking a distance rule, one applying to a single team, or both sharing one figure. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §2 (Dropped Ball))

### Test 5: Dropped ball offences and sanctions, and a Law 8 synthesis

- An early touch before the ball reaches the pitch means it is simply dropped again, not played on as normal, not punished with an indirect free kick, and not met with a caution. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §2 (Dropped Ball))
- Going out of play untouched is treated the same as an early touch, a re-drop, not a goal-clearance-or-corner outcome, not a fresh kick-off, and not simply continuing. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §2 (Dropped Ball))
- Entering the attacking side's own target goal without two touches is fixed with a goal clearance, not a corner kick, not a counted goal, and not simply dropped again. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §2 (Dropped Ball))
- When the ball ends up in the receiving player's own net without two touches, Law 8 does not credit an own goal; instead it hands the opponents a corner kick, unlike the goal-clearance outcome for the opposite net or a straightforward re-drop. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §2 (Dropped Ball))
- A goal caused by circumstances beyond the receiving player's control, like a facility defect, is fixed by dropping the ball again, not the normal goal-clearance-or-corner outcome, not a counted goal, and not a kick-off-style retake. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §2 (Dropped Ball))
- An improperly dropped ball counts as a circumstance beyond the player's control, so it is dropped again, rather than applying the usual outcome regardless, needing the goalkeeper's input, or cautioning the referee. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §2 (Dropped Ball))
- Both reasons undo a flawed outcome and restart with a fresh drop, so neither is limited to extra time, neither results in a free kick, and neither restarts with a kick-off. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §2 (Dropped Ball))
- A normal goal from a dropped ball needs at least two players to have touched it, not just the one it was dropped for, not three players, and not any single touch at all. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 §2 (Dropped Ball))
- Both an own-goal kick-off and an own-goal dropped ball are fixed with a corner kick, not a goal clearance, not a counted own goal, and not simply retaken or redropped. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 (whole Law))
- Both rules simply correct a flawed restart before real play resumes, not punish anyone with a free kick, not limited to international matches, and not a way to cancel the rest of the period. (Source: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 (whole Law))

Sources: FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, Law 8 (paraphrased in original wording; original questions authored from the Law, not reproduced)

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