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Football · Laws of the Game

Law 3: The Players

2 parts · 8 tests · 80 facts · updated 15 October 2026 · markdown

Law 3 covers the players: a match is played by two teams of no more than eleven players, one of whom is the goalkeeper, and cannot start or continue if a team has fewer than seven. It sets out named and used substitutes, the substitution opportunities and the half-time exception, return and concussion substitutions, and the procedure: the substitute enters at the halfway line during a stoppage once the replaced player has left, with the referee's permission. It also covers changing places with the goalkeeper, players sent off before and after the kick-off, extra persons on the field, a goal scored with an extra person on the field, and the team captain.

3.31Numbers of players and making substitutions

How many players a team fields and needs, the goalkeeper, named and used substitutes, return and concussion substitutions, and the procedure for making a substitution at the halfway line.

Test 1Named substitutes and return substitutionsTake a test

  6. The names of the substitutes go to the referee before the start of the match; only a named substitute may later enter, during a stoppage.

  7. A substitute enters only at the halfway line (C), during a stoppage and after the player being replaced has left.

  8. With five substitutes a team has three opportunities (plus half-time); a match cannot start with fewer than seven players, and up to fifteen substitutes may be named in senior 'A' internationals.

Test 2Substitution rules and concussion substitutesTake a test

  6. In senior 'A' internationals up to fifteen substitutes may be named and six used; a team has at most eleven players on the field and needs at least seven.

  9. Substitutions made in any of these three breaks do not use up one of the team's substitution opportunities.

  10. A player who has been replaced goes straight to the technical area or the dressing room (A) and takes no further part; staying on the field (B, D) or waiting behind the goal (C) is not allowed.

Test 3Numbers of players and the substitution procedureTake a test

  5. A player being replaced leaves by the nearest point on the boundary line (D), unless the referee indicates the player may leave quickly and immediately at the halfway line or another point.

  8. A substitution happens in a stoppage: the referee must be informed, the player being replaced must have left, and only then does the substitute enter, after a signal from the referee.

  10. The referee need not stop play at once and may play advantage, but the match must not resume after the ball has gone out of play if a team has fewer than seven players.

3.32Sent-off players, extra persons and the captain

The rest of Law 3: who may replace a player sent off before or after kick-off, the cautions for an unannounced goalkeeper swap, team officials and outside agents on the field, a player coming back on without permission, a goal scored while an extra person was on the field, the named substitutes and the team captain.

Test 1Players sent off and the goalkeeper swapTake a test

  1. Once sent off before the list is handed in, a player is out of the match entirely: the team cannot list them as a starter, a substitute or a team official.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · applied

  2. After being named and before kick-off, a sent-off player may be replaced by a named substitute; the team's number of substitutions is not reduced.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · applied

  3. Replacing a starter who was sent off before kick-off costs nothing: the team keeps every substitution it had.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · recall

  4. The referee lets the named substitute play on without disciplinary action, the named player can become a named substitute and the team loses no substitution.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · applied

  5. Once a named substitute has been sent off, whether before or during the match, that place on the bench stays empty.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · applied

  6. Both are cautioned for an unannounced swap, except when it happened at half-time, before extra time or before kicks from the penalty mark.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · applied

  7. For any other offence under Law 3 the players are cautioned and play restarts with an indirect free kick from the position of the ball when play was stopped.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · recall

  8. Before kick-off the list can still be patched: a named substitute steps in, cannot in turn be replaced, and the substitution count is untouched.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · applied

  9. An unauthorised change of goalkeeper does not stop play; both players are cautioned when the ball is next out of play.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · applied

  10. Once the match has kicked off, a sent-off player cannot be replaced, so the team plays on a player short.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · applied

Test 2Extra persons on the fieldTake a test

  1. Team officials are the coach and the other officials named on the team list, other than players and substitutes.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · recall

  2. Anyone not named on the team list as a player, substitute or team official is an outside agent.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · recall

  3. The referee stops play only if there is interference, has the person removed when play stops and takes disciplinary action.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · applied

  4. Interference by a team official, substitute, substituted or sent-off player restarts with a direct free kick, or a penalty kick in their own penalty area.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · applied

  5. Interference by an outside agent, such as a spectator, restarts with a dropped ball.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · applied

  6. If the interference does not prevent a defender playing the ball, the goal counts even with contact, unless the interference was by the attacking team.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · applied

  7. Removal comes first, then the appropriate disciplinary action against whoever came on.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · recall

  8. Play is stopped only once the substitute interferes; it restarts with a direct free kick, or a penalty kick in the substitute's own penalty area.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · applied

  9. An outside agent who interferes stops play; after removal, play restarts with a dropped ball.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · applied

  10. Interference by a substitute is punished with a direct free kick, and inside the substitute's own penalty area that means a penalty kick.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · applied

Test 3Coming back onto the fieldTake a test

  1. The player is cautioned for entering the field of play without permission.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · recall

  2. The referee need not stop play immediately if the player does not interfere with play or a match official, or if advantage can be applied.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · applied

  3. If the player interfered, play restarts with a direct free kick from the position of the interference.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · applied

  4. No one was affected, so the free kick is indirect and is taken where the ball lay when the whistle went.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · applied

  5. A player who crosses a boundary line as part of a playing movement does not commit an offence (the ball itself must stay in play).

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · applied

  6. A player who needs permission to return waits for it; coming back without it is a caution.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · recall

  7. Coming back on without permission is a caution; because the player interfered, the restart is a direct free kick from the position of the interference.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · applied

  8. Nothing forces an immediate whistle when nobody is affected; the caution follows and the restart is taken from where the ball was.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · applied

  9. Crossing a boundary line as part of a playing movement is not an offence.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · applied

  10. Because the player interfered, the direct free kick is taken where the interference happened (C), not where the ball was (A) or where the player came back on (B).

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · applied

Test 4A goal with an extra person on the fieldTake a test

  1. The goal is disallowed if the extra person who interfered belonged to the scoring team; play restarts with a direct free kick from the extra person's position.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · applied

  2. The goal is allowed if the extra person was a player, substitute, substituted or sent-off player or team official of the team that conceded it.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · applied

  3. A goal is allowed if the outside agent did not interfere with play; in all cases the extra person is removed.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · applied

  4. If an outside agent interfered, the goal is disallowed and play restarts with a dropped ball, unless the ball was going in as Law 3 describes.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · recall

  5. Once play has restarted after a goal, the goal cannot be disallowed; the referee reports the incident to the appropriate authorities.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · applied

  6. The referee stops play, has the extra person removed and restarts with a dropped ball or free kick as appropriate.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · recall

  7. In every case the extra person is removed from the field and the referee reports the incident to the appropriate authorities.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · recall

  8. A goal helped by one of the scoring side's own people cannot stand; the opponents restart with a direct free kick.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · applied

  9. The restart closes the matter: the goal counts and the referee's report records what happened.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · applied

  10. The lime substitute who blocked the defender belonged to the scoring team, so the goal is ruled out and the grey team take a direct free kick from where the substitute stood.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · applied

Test 5Substitutes named and the team captainTake a test

  1. Each team must have a captain on the field of play who wears an identifying armband.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · recall

  2. Wearing the armband brings no privileges and no right to be consulted, but the captain is expected to help keep the team's conduct in order.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · recall

  3. Competitions may implement the 'Only the captain' guidelines listed under Notes and modifications.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · recall

  4. Competition rules must state how many substitutes may be named, from three to a maximum of fifteen.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · recall

  5. The names of the substitutes must be given to the referee before the start; any substitute not named by then may not take part.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · applied

  6. The substitution is completed when the substitute enters the field; from then the substitute is a player and can take any restart.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · applied

  7. All substituted players and substitutes are subject to the referee's authority, whether they play or not.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · recall

  8. The moment the substitute crosses the line at halfway, the change is complete and the newcomer may take the throw-in.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · applied

  9. A competition may allow three to fifteen named substitutes, official competitions allow up to five to be used, and a team needs at least seven players.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · applied

  10. The armband (D) marks the captain, whom every team must have on the field; a knee protector (B) or a bib (C) is something else.

    Source: IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 · recall

Sources

IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 3 (paraphrased in original wording)

  • IFAB Laws of the Game 2025/26, Law 350