Futsal (FIFA) — Official Rules

Futsal is played on a flat, smooth, non-abrasive surface, preferably made of wood or artificial material. The pitch is a rectangle marked with lines that are 8cm wide and belong to the areas they bound. The two longer boundary lines are touchlines; the two shorter lines are goal end lines. The part of each end line between the goalposts is the goal line. A halfway line divides the pitch, with a centre mark and a centre circle of 3m radius.

The touchline must always be longer than the goal end line. For non-international matches the length is 25m to 42m and the width is 16m to 25m. For international matches the length is 38m to 42m and the width is 20m to 25m.

The penalty area is formed by two quarter circles of 6m radius drawn from the outside of each goalpost, joined at the top by a 3.16m line parallel to the goal line. The penalty mark is 6m from the goal line, level with the centre of the goal. A second penalty mark (the 10m mark) is 10m from the goal line and is used for the direct free kick from the sixth accumulated foul.

A goal is placed at the centre of each goal end line. The inner edges of the goalposts are 3m apart and the lower edge of the crossbar is 2m above the floor. The goalposts and crossbar have the same width and depth as the goal end lines, 8cm, and must be securely anchored. Nets are attached behind the goal and must not interfere with the goalkeeper.

The ball is spherical, made of leather or another suitable material, size 4. Its circumference is between 62cm and 64cm, and it weighs between 400g and 440g at the start of the match. It has a low bounce: when dropped from a height of 2m, the first rebound must not be less than 50cm or more than 65cm.

If the ball becomes defective during play, play is stopped and restarted by dropping a replacement ball where the original ball became defective, unless play was stopped inside the penalty area, in which case the dropped ball is on the penalty-area line at the nearest point. The exception is when the ball becomes defective after striking the goalposts or crossbar and then directly enters the goal, in which case the goal stands.

A match is played by two teams of no more than five players each, one of whom is the goalkeeper. A match may not start or continue if either team has fewer than three players. Each team may name up to nine substitutes.

Futsal uses an unlimited number of rolling (flying) substitutions made while the ball is in or out of play. A substitute may only enter from their own substitution zone after the player being replaced has left the pitch. A substitution made incorrectly is sanctioned with a caution.

A team may replace its goalkeeper with an outfield player to gain a numerical attacking advantage (the flying goalkeeper). Any outfield player may switch places with the goalkeeper provided the referees are informed and the change is made during a stoppage.

A match consists of two equal periods of 20 minutes each, timed by a timekeeper. The clock is stopped at every stoppage of play (dead ball), so the playing time is 20 minutes of actual play per period. The half-time interval must not exceed 15 minutes.

Each team is entitled to one timeout of one minute in each period. It is granted only when that team is in possession of the ball and the ball is out of play, after the team official requests it from the timekeeper. A timeout not taken in the first period cannot be carried over to the second. No timeouts are allowed in extra time.

Play begins with a kick-off from the centre mark at the start of each period and after a goal is scored. All opponents must be at least 3m from the ball until it is in play. A goal may be scored directly from a kick-off against the opposing team. The referees do not need confirmation from the goalkeeper before ordering the kick-off.

When play is stopped without an offence having been committed (for example for an injury or a defective ball), a referee restarts play with a dropped ball for one player of the team that had or would have gained possession. The ball is dropped where play was stopped, unless this was inside the defending team's penalty area, in which case it is dropped on the penalty-area line. The ball is in play when it touches the floor.

When taking a kick-in, corner kick, goal clearance or free kick, and when the goalkeeper has the ball in their own half, a player has only four seconds to put the ball back into play. The referee counts the four seconds with a visible hand signal. If the restart is not made within four seconds, possession passes to the opposing team.

The ball is out of play when it has wholly crossed a goal end line or touchline on the floor or in the air, when play is stopped by the referees, or when it strikes the ceiling. At all other times the ball is in play, including when it rebounds from a goalpost, crossbar or referee and stays on the pitch.

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. The team scoring the greater number of goals wins. If both teams score the same number of goals, the match is drawn unless the competition rules require a winner.

Where the competition rules require a winner after a drawn match, extra time of two equal periods may be played. Accumulated fouls from the second period carry over and continue to accumulate during extra time. No timeouts are allowed in extra time.

If still drawn, the winner is decided by kicks from the 6m penalty mark. Under the 2025-26 Laws, each team takes five kicks (increased from three), taken alternately by eligible players. If the teams are level after five kicks each, kicks continue one each (sudden death). The defending goalkeeper must have at least one foot on or in line with the goal line when the kick is taken.

A direct free kick is awarded for offences such as kicking, tripping, charging, jumping at, striking, pushing or holding an opponent carelessly, recklessly or with excessive force, and for deliberate handball. An indirect free kick is awarded for technical offences such as dangerous play, impeding an opponent, or goalkeeper offences. A goalkeeper cannot be challenged while in control of the ball with the hands or arms.

Accumulated fouls are those punishable by a direct free kick or a penalty kick. Each team's tally starts from zero in each period and is recorded by the timekeeper. No accumulated foul is recorded when a penalty kick is awarded. Fouls punishable only by an indirect free kick do not accumulate.

From the sixth accumulated foul committed by a team in a period, the opposing team is awarded a direct free kick with no wall (DFKSAF). It is taken from the 10m mark, or from the place of the offence if that is nearer the goal than the 10m mark. The kicker must attempt to score and no defender may stand between the ball and the goal except the goalkeeper, who must be at least 5m away. This sanction is the futsal equivalent of an extra penalty for persistent team fouling.

A yellow card cautions a player for offences such as unsporting behaviour, dissent, persistent infringement or entering the pitch improperly. A red card sends a player off for serious foul play, violent conduct, spitting, denying a goal by handball, denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity, offensive language, or a second caution. A sent-off team plays short for two minutes, after which a substitute may enter (or earlier if the opponents score).

A player is sent off for denying the opposing team a goal or an obvious goalscoring opportunity by a deliberate handball offence, or by an offence that was not a genuine attempt to play the ball. Factors considered include the distance to goal, the direction of play, the likelihood of keeping control of the ball, and whether the goal is guarded (the goalkeeper inside the penalty area within an imaginary triangle of the goalposts and the ball). Where the offence was a genuine attempt to play the ball punishable by a free kick or penalty kick, the player is cautioned rather than sent off.

A direct free kick may score directly against the opposing team; an indirect free kick must touch another player before a goal can be scored. The ball must be stationary and is in play when it is kicked and moves. Opponents must be at least 5m from the ball until it is in play. Free kicks that are not DFKSAFs are subject to the four-second rule.

A penalty kick is awarded when a direct-free-kick offence is committed by a player inside their own penalty area while the ball is in play. It is taken from the 6m penalty mark. All players except the kicker and the defending goalkeeper must be outside the penalty area, behind the penalty mark and at least 5m from it. The goalkeeper must remain on the goal line, facing the kicker, until the ball is kicked. A penalty kick is not added to the accumulated foul tally.

In futsal a kick-in replaces the throw-in. When the whole ball crosses the touchline, the opposing team restarts with a kick-in from where the ball left the pitch. The ball must be stationary on or behind the touchline and is kicked, not thrown. Opponents must be at least 5m away. A goal cannot be scored directly from a kick-in, and the kick-in is subject to the four-second rule.

A goal clearance restarts play when the whole ball passes over the goal end line, having last touched an attacker, without a goal being scored. The goalkeeper throws the ball from inside the penalty area into play (not a goal kick). The ball must leave the penalty area to be in play, and the goalkeeper has four seconds to release it.

A corner kick is awarded when the whole ball passes over the goal end line, having last touched a defender, without a goal being scored. The ball is placed in the corner area nearest where it crossed the line and is kicked. Opponents must be at least 5m away, and the corner kick is subject to the four-second rule. A goal may be scored directly from a corner kick.

Where adopted by the competition, the Video Support (VS) protocol lets each head coach challenge clear and obvious errors in four categories: goal/no goal, penalty/no penalty, direct red card, and mistaken identity. A team retains the right to challenge while a challenge is upheld. During a penalty shoot-out each team is allowed one additional unsuccessful challenge; unused match challenges are not carried into the shoot-out. Challenges cannot relate to incidents before a granted timeout.

The 2025-26 edition introduced these main changes: the penalty shoot-out now uses five kicks per team instead of three; the defending goalkeeper must keep at least one foot on or in line with the goal line during penalty kicks; women's futsal is given the same status as men's futsal and is no longer a separate category; national associations gain flexibility for youth, veteran, disability and grassroots futsal (pitch size, ball size and weight, distance between goalposts, duration of the halves, and a possible rule that the goalkeeper may not throw the ball directly over the halfway line); and handball judging is clarified so fewer fouls, free kicks and penalties are given where a defender cannot prevent the ball striking their hand.