Section 1: Introduction
Futsal is played and administered directly by FIFA rather than by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), which governs the 11-a-side game. The current edition of the rulebook, the Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-26, was approved by the Bureau of the Council and is effective from 5 September 2025. FIFA publishes the Futsal Laws in English, Arabic, French and Spanish; where any divergence in wording exists between translations, the English text is authoritative (Notes on the Futsal Laws of the Game, "Official Languages").
The universality of the Futsal Laws means the game is essentially the same in every part of the world and at every level. FIFA nonetheless permits national football associations (FAs), confederations and itself to modify certain "organisational" aspects of the Laws for youth, veterans', disability and grassroots futsal — including pitch size, ball specifications, goal dimensions, period duration and goalkeeper throwing restrictions — but no other modifications are allowed without FIFA's permission (Notes on the Futsal Laws of the Game, "Modifications to the Futsal Laws").
Where the Laws do not provide a direct answer to a situation, FIFA expects referees to make a decision within the "spirit of the game," applying what the Laws describe as "futsal understanding" — asking what would be in futsal's best interests (Notes on the Futsal Laws of the Game, "Managing Amendments to the Futsal Laws"). Referees are also directed to apply the Laws in a way that produces fair and safe matches, and to treat unsafe play strictly: a "reckless" challenge is cautioned and a challenge using "excessive force" is sent off.
Section 2: Equipment
The ball (Law 2, Section 1). The match ball must be spherical, made of suitable material, of a circumference between 62cm and 64cm, and weigh between 400g and 440g at the start of the match. Its pressure must equal 0.6-0.9atm (600-900g/cm²) at sea level. Critically, a futsal ball is a reduced-bounce ball: when dropped from a height of 2m, it must not bounce lower than 50cm or higher than 65cm on the first rebound. Balls used in official competitions organised by FIFA or a confederation must bear a mark of the FIFA Quality Programme for Footballs, certifying they meet these tested specifications.
Compulsory player equipment (Law 4, Section 2). Every player's compulsory equipment comprises separate items: a shirt with sleeves; shorts; socks (any tape or material applied externally must match the colour of the sock section it covers); shinguards, made of a suitable material providing reasonable protection and fully covered by the socks; and footwear. A player whose footwear or shinguard is lost accidentally must replace it as soon as possible and no later than the next time the ball goes out of play.
Colours (Law 4, Section 3). The two teams must wear colours that distinguish them from each other and from the match officials. Each goalkeeper must wear colours distinguishing them from outfield players of both teams and from the officials; a substitute or outfield player who changes places with the goalkeeper (a "flying goalkeeper") must wear a goalkeeper's shirt bearing their own squad number.
Captain's armband (Law 3, Section 12). Each team must have a captain who wears an identifying armband issued or authorised by the competition organiser.
Safety and prohibited items (Law 4, Section 1). A player must not use or wear anything dangerous. All jewellery — necklaces, rings, bracelets, earrings, leather or rubber bands — is forbidden and must be removed; taping over jewellery is not a permitted substitute for removing it. Players and substitutes are inspected before the match, and a player who refuses to remove an unauthorised item, or replaces it, must be cautioned. Non-dangerous protective equipment such as soft, lightweight padded gloves, headgear, facemasks, and knee or arm protectors is permitted, as are sports spectacles.
Section 3: Playing Area
Surface (Law 1, Section 1). The pitch surface must be flat, smooth and non-abrasive, preferably wood, and must never be dangerous to participants. Artificial turf is permitted only in exceptional cases, for domestic competitions, and only where the competition rules specify it.
Dimensions (Law 1, Section 3). All boundary lines are 8cm wide, and the touchline must always be longer than the end line. For non-international matches, the touchline (length) must be between 25m and 42m, and the end line (width) between 16m and 25m. For international matches, the touchline must be between 38m and 42m, and the end line between 20m and 25m.
Centre circle (Law 1, Section 2). A halfway line divides the pitch into two halves. The centre mark has a radius of 6cm, and a centre circle of 3m radius is marked around it.
Penalty area and marks (Law 1, Section 4). The penalty area is formed by quarter circles of 6m radius drawn from the outside of each goalpost, joined at their upper ends by a 3.16m line running parallel to the goal line. The penalty mark sits 6m from the midpoint between the goalposts, equidistant from each. A second mark — the 10m mark, informally the "second penalty spot" — is placed 10m from the midpoint between the goalposts; it is the reference point for a direct free kick beginning with a team's sixth accumulated foul in a period (Law 1, Section 5).
The goals (Law 1, Section 9). A goal stands at the centre of each end line. The inside distance between the goalposts is 3m, and the distance from the lower edge of the crossbar to the floor is 2m. Goalposts and the crossbar share the same width and depth as the boundary lines (8cm) and must be a different colour from the pitch. Goals must not be fixed to the floor, since this could endanger participants, but must have an adequate stabilising system, such as rear weighting, to prevent them overturning.
Substitution zones (Law 1, Section 6). Each team's substitution zone is 5m long, situated on the touchline in front of its technical area, 5m from the halfway line, on the side of the pitch the team is defending. The zones switch sides at half-time.
Corner area (Law 1, Section 7). A quarter circle with an 8cm-wide line and a 25cm radius is drawn inside the pitch from each corner.
Section 4: Players & Officials
Number of players (Law 3, Section 1). A match is played by two teams of a maximum of five players each, one of whom must be the goalkeeper. A match may not start, and may not resume once stopped, if either team has fewer than three players.
Substitutions (Law 3, Sections 2 and 4). An unlimited number of substitutions may be made. In an official competition organised under the auspices of FIFA, a confederation or a national FA, a maximum of nine substitutes may be used. A substitution ("flying substitution") may be made at any time, whether the ball is in play or not, except during a timeout; the player being replaced must leave via their own team's substitution zone before the substitute enters through that same zone.
Team captain (Law 3, Section 12). Each team must have a captain who wears an identifying armband; the captain has no special status or privileges under the Laws but carries a degree of responsibility for their team's conduct.
Sent-off players (Law 3, Section 8). A named substitute may replace a player sent off only after two minutes of playing time have elapsed following the sending-off, unless a goal is scored by either team first, in which case specific numerical-reduction rules set out in Law 3 apply.
The referees (Law 5, Sections 1 and 5). Each match is controlled by two on-pitch officials — the referee and the second referee — who have full authority to enforce the Futsal Laws of the Game. A second referee is mandatory for international matches. The referees' decisions on facts connected with play, including whether a goal is scored and the result of the match, are final.
Other match officials (Law 6, Sections 1 and 3). Up to three further officials may be appointed: a third referee, a fourth referee, and a timekeeper. They are positioned off the pitch, level with the halfway line, on the same side as the substitution zones. For international matches, a third referee and a timekeeper are mandatory.
Video support (Law 5, Section 7). Where FIFA has granted written permission and the competition has met all implementation requirements, a team's head coach may challenge a referee decision on goal/no goal, penalty kick/no penalty kick, a direct red card, or mistaken identity. The on-pitch referees review the footage themselves, and the original decision stands unless the replay shows a "clear and obvious error" or a "serious missed incident."
Section 5: Rules of Play
Duration (Law 7, Sections 1 and 4). A match lasts two equal periods of 20 minutes of playing time; the clock is stopped by the timekeeper whenever the ball is out of play. Players are entitled to a half-time interval not exceeding 15 minutes.
Timeouts (Law 7, Section 3). Each team is entitled to one one-minute timeout per period, requested by a team official through the third referee or timekeeper. A team that does not use its timeout in the first period is only still entitled to one timeout in the second period — the entitlement does not carry over as two.
Kick-off (Law 8, Section 1). A kick-off starts each period and restarts play after a goal. All opponents of the team taking the kick-off must remain at least 3m from the ball until it is in play, and the ball must be stationary on the centre mark. A goal may be scored directly from a kick-off.
No offside (Law 11). There is no offside law in futsal.
Ball in and out of play (Law 9, Sections 1 through 3). The ball is out of play once it has wholly crossed a touchline or end line (on the ground or in the air), when the referees stop play, or when it hits the ceiling of an indoor facility. If the ball hits the ceiling while in play, the match restarts with a kick-in for the opponents of the team that last touched it, taken from the point on the touchline nearest to where the ball struck the ceiling.
The kick-in (Law 15, Sections 1 and 2). A kick-in replaces the throw-in used in the 11-a-side game and is awarded to the opponents of the player who last touched the ball before it crossed a touchline. The ball must be stationary on the touchline, all opponents must stand at least 5m away, and the kicker must put the ball into play within four seconds of being ready or of the referee's signal. A goal cannot be scored directly from a kick-in — if the ball enters the opponents' goal directly, a goal clearance is awarded instead.
Goalkeeper four-second rule (Law 12, Section 2). An indirect free kick is awarded against a goalkeeper who controls the ball with the hands, arms or feet in their own half of the pitch for more than four seconds. A goalkeeper is considered in control whenever the ball is held in an outstretched hand, bounced, thrown in the air, or dribbled by hand or foot, and cannot be challenged by an opponent while in that control.
Back-pass restriction (Law 12, Section 2). An indirect free kick is also awarded if, after having played the ball into controlled possession anywhere on the pitch, the goalkeeper touches it again in their own half after a team-mate has deliberately played it to them, without an opponent playing or touching it in between; there is no disciplinary sanction attached to this offence.
Section 6: Scoring
Goal scored (Law 10, Section 1). A goal is scored when the whole of the ball passes over the goal line, between the goalposts and under the crossbar, provided no offence has been committed by the scoring team. If a defending player moves or overturns their own goal and the ball would otherwise have entered it between the normal position of the posts and under the normal height of the crossbar, the goal is awarded.
Winning team (Law 10, Section 2). The team scoring the greater number of goals during the match wins; if both teams score an equal number, or no goals are scored, the match is drawn. Where competition rules require a winner after a drawn match, the permitted procedures — used singly or in combination — are the away-goals rule, two equal periods of extra time of no more than five minutes each, and penalties (a penalty shoot-out).
Penalties/penalty shoot-out (Law 10, Section 3). Penalties are taken after the match has ended and are not part of the match itself. Subject to conditions on numerical equality between the two squads, both teams take five kicks, alternately, with a different kicker required for each of the five before any player may take a second kick. If the outcome is not decided after five kicks each, kicks continue in sudden-death rounds — one kick per team per round — until one team has scored one more goal than the other from the same number of kicks. A player sent off during the match is not permitted to take part in the shoot-out.
Section 7: Violations & Penalties
Direct free kick offences (Law 12, Section 1). A direct free kick is awarded if a player commits any of the following against an opponent in a manner the referees consider careless, reckless or using excessive force: charging, jumping at, kicking or attempting to kick, pushing, striking or attempting to strike (including a head-butt), tackling or challenging, or tripping. A direct free kick is also awarded for deliberate handball, holding an opponent, impeding an opponent with contact, biting or spitting, and for throwing or kicking an object at the ball, an opponent or a match official. "Careless" carries no sanction; "reckless" is cautioned; "using excessive force" is sent off.
Indirect free kick offences (Law 12, Section 2). An indirect free kick is awarded for dangerous play, impeding an opponent's progress without contact, dissent or offensive/insulting/abusive language, preventing the goalkeeper from releasing the ball, initiating a deliberate trick to circumvent the Law via a pass to the goalkeeper, the goalkeeper's four-second violation, and the goalkeeper's back-pass violation described in Section 5 above.
Accumulated fouls and the DFKSAF (Law 13, Sections 4 and 5). Every offence penalised with a direct free kick counts as an accumulated foul against that team for the period in which it is committed, and the count is recorded in the match report. A team's sixth and each subsequent accumulated foul in the same period is penalised with a direct free kick beginning with the sixth accumulated foul (the "DFKSAF"), taken — at the kicker's choice, if the offence occurred inside the designated zone — either from the 10m mark or from the place the offence was committed. The defending team may not form a defensive wall against a DFKSAF, and the goalkeeper must stay at least 5m from the ball until it has been kicked. If the sixth or a later accumulated foul is instead committed inside the offender's own penalty area, a penalty kick is awarded rather than a DFKSAF.
The penalty kick (Law 14, Section 1). A penalty kick is awarded for a direct-free-kick offence committed inside the offender's own penalty area. It is taken from the penalty mark, 6m from the midpoint between the goalposts. The defending goalkeeper must remain on the goal line, facing the kicker, between the posts, until the ball is kicked; all other players must be on the pitch, at least 5m from the penalty mark, behind it, and outside the penalty area.
Cautions and sendings-off (Law 12, Section 3). The yellow card communicates a caution; the red card communicates a sending-off. A player is sent off for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity or a goal through a deliberate handball or by moving the goal, serious foul play, violent conduct, biting or spitting at someone, using offensive/insulting/abusive language or action, or receiving a second caution in the same match. Denying the opposing team a goal or an obvious goalscoring opportunity through a non-deliberate handball, or through an offence that was a genuine attempt to play the ball or challenge for it, results only in a caution once the corresponding penalty kick or free kick has been awarded.
Section 8: Safety Considerations
Jewellery and dangerous equipment (Law 4, Section 1). A player must not use or wear any equipment or item that is dangerous. All jewellery is forbidden and must be removed before play; taping over it is not an acceptable substitute. Players and substitutes are inspected before kick-off, and a player who refuses to remove a dangerous or unauthorised item must leave the pitch at the next stoppage if unwilling or unable to comply, and is cautioned if the item is worn again.
Protective equipment (Law 4, Section 2). Shinguards are compulsory, must be made of a suitable material providing reasonable protection appropriate to the player, and must be fully covered by the socks.
Referee authority to stop, suspend or abandon (Law 5, Section 3). The referee may stop, suspend or abandon a match for reasons including a serious injury, inadequate floodlights, spectator interference, or any other issue that makes continued play unsafe. If, in the referees' opinion, a player is seriously injured, play is stopped and the player must be removed from the pitch, returning only after the match has resumed and via their team's substitution zone, subject to narrow exceptions (e.g. two players from the same team colliding, or an injury resulting from a physical offence for which the opponent has already been cautioned or sent off).
Sanctioning unsafe play (Law 12, Section 3). The Laws embody the unacceptability of unsafe play directly in their disciplinary language: a "reckless challenge," which shows disregard for the danger to or consequences for an opponent, is a caution; a challenge "using excessive force," which endangers the safety of an opponent, is a sending-off. Serious foul play and violent conduct are always sent off, regardless of whether the referees have applied advantage.
Goal stability (Law 1, Section 9). Goals must never be fixed to the floor, since this could itself endanger participants, but must be fitted with an adequate stabilising system — such as weighting at the rear of the frame — to prevent them from overturning during play.
