Volleyball (FIVB) — Official Rules

Volleyball is a sport played by two teams on a playing court divided by a net. The object of the game is to send the ball over the net to ground it in the opponents' court, and to prevent the same effort by the opponent. Each team is entitled to three hits for returning the ball (in addition to the block contact). The ball is put in play by a service, hit by the server over the net to the opponents. The rally continues until the ball is grounded, goes "out", or a team fails to return it correctly. Under the Rally Point System the team winning a rally scores a point; when the receiving team wins the rally it gains a point and the right to serve, and its players rotate one position clockwise.

A team may consist of up to 12 players (or up to 14 for FIVB, World and Official Competitions that allow two Liberos plus regular players), of whom six (6) are on court at any time, plus coaches, a therapist and a medical doctor on the team bench. One player is the team captain, marked on the score sheet, and acts as game captain when on court. From the recorded list a team may designate up to two (2) specialist defensive players (Liberos). Only players recorded on the score sheet may enter the court and participate in the match.

The playing court is a rectangle measuring 18 m long by 9 m wide, surrounded by a free zone of a minimum of 3 m wide on all sides, with a free playing space above the court that is obstruction-free to a minimum height of 7 m. For FIVB, World and Official Competitions, the free zone shall measure at least 5 m from the side lines and 6.5 m from the end lines, and the free playing space shall be a minimum of 12.5 m in height. The playing surface must be flat, horizontal and uniform; for FIVB events only a synthetic or wooden surface is permitted, and the surface must not present any danger of injury.

All lines are 5 cm wide, of a light colour different from the floor. The two side lines and two end lines mark the court and lie within its dimensions. The centre line runs beneath the net and divides the court into two equal 9 m x 9 m courts. The attack line is drawn 3 m back from the axis of the centre line (its rear edge), marking the front zone (front-row players, attack and block area). The service zone is a 9 m wide area behind each end line, the full width of the court, extending to the end of the free zone, from which the server must serve.

The net is placed vertically over the centre line, with its top set at a height of 2.43 m for men and 2.24 m for women (heights vary for age groups and other categories), measured at the centre of the court. The height over both side lines must be exactly equal and may not exceed the official height by more than 2 cm. The net is 1 m wide (+/- 3 cm) and 9.50 to 10 m long, made of 10 cm square black mesh. A horizontal band of white canvas (7 cm) is sewn along its top and bottom. Side bands (5 cm wide, 1 m long) are fastened vertically above each side line and are part of the net.

An antenna is a flexible rod 1.80 m long and 10 mm in diameter, made of fibreglass or similar material, fastened at the outer edge of each side band on opposite sides of the net. The top 80 cm of each antenna extends above the net and is marked with 10 cm stripes of contrasting colour, preferably red and white. The antennae are considered part of the net and laterally delimit the crossing space - the space through which the ball must pass over the net to the opponents, bounded below by the net top, at the sides by the antennae and their imaginary extension, and above by any structure.

The ball is spherical, made of a flexible leather or synthetic-leather case with a bladder inside, of a uniform light colour or a combination of colours. Its circumference is 65-67 cm and its weight is 260-280 g. Its inside pressure shall be 0.30 to 0.325 kg/cm2 (4.26 to 4.61 psi; 294.3 to 318.82 mbar/hPa). All balls used in a match must have the same standards. For FIVB, World and Official Competitions, five (5) balls are used, with six ball retrievers stationed - one at each corner of the free zone and one behind each referee.

A team scores a point by landing the ball on the opponents' court, when the opponents commit a fault, or when the opponents receive a penalty. Under the Rally Point System a point is scored on every rally: if the serving team wins the rally it scores a point and serves again; if the receiving team wins the rally it scores a point, gains the right to serve, and rotates one position clockwise. A fault is a playing action contrary to the rules (or any other infraction); when a team commits a fault the opponents win the rally. If two opponents commit faults simultaneously a double fault is called and the rally is replayed.

A set (except the deciding 5th set) is won by the team that first scores 25 points with a minimum lead of two (2) points. In the case of a 24-24 tie, play continues until a two-point lead is achieved (26-24, 27-25, etc.) - there is no scoring cap. The deciding 5th set is played to 15 points, also with a minimum two-point lead (16-14, 17-15, etc.). Each scored rally adds one point to the set score; there are no "side-out" points without scoring.

The match is won by the team that wins three (3) sets - it is played as a best of five sets. If the match is tied at 2-2 sets, the deciding 5th set is played to 15 points with a two-point lead, and a new toss is conducted before the deciding set. A team that refuses to play after being summoned is declared in default and forfeits the match 0-3 (sets 0-25). A team declared incomplete for a set or match loses that set/match, with the opponents awarded the points and/or sets needed to win while the incomplete team keeps its acquired points and sets.

At the moment the ball is hit by the server, each team (except the server) must be positioned within its own court in its rotational order. There are six positions: positions 4 (front-left), 3 (front-centre) and 2 (front-right) are front-row players; positions 5 (back-left), 6 (back-centre) and 1 (back-right) are back-row players. Each back-row player must be positioned further from the centre line than the corresponding front-row player, and the right/left players must be ordered accordingly. After the team to serve wins the right to serve, its players rotate one position clockwise (the position-2 player moves to position 1 to serve).

A team commits a positional fault if any player is not in the correct rotational position at the moment the ball is hit by the server, costing a point and service to the opponents. Under the 2025-2028 rules the players of the receiving team must be in their correct rotational order at the service hit, while the players of the serving team are free to occupy any position at the moment of the service hit. After the service hit, players of both teams may move around and occupy any position on their court and the free zone. (2026 test): the receiving team must be in rotational order at the referee's whistle but may begin moving once the serving action is initiated.

The service puts the ball in play, hit by the player in position 1. The ball must be hit with one hand or any part of the arm after being tossed or released, and the server must hit it within 8 seconds after the 1st referee's whistle; only one toss/release is allowed. At the moment of the hit (or take-off for a jump serve) the server must not touch the court (including the end line) or the ground outside the 9 m service zone. The service is a fault if the server commits a positional/order fault, foot fault, exceeds 8 seconds, or the ball touches the serving team, fails to cross the net through the crossing space, or lands "out". Screening is forbidden (see 12.5).

The serving team must not prevent the opponents, through a screen, from seeing the server and the flight path of the ball. The 2025-2028 wording is tightened: players of the serving team must not use coordinated body movements - jumps, arm raises or group clustering - to hide both the service hit AND the trajectory of the ball from the receivers until the ball crosses the net plane. This removes the previous "natural movement" argument. A player or group of players forming such a collective screen commits a screening fault, awarding a point and service to the opponents.

Each team is entitled to a maximum of three (3) hits (in addition to the block contact) to return the ball; a fourth is the "FOUR HITS" fault. A player may not hit the ball twice consecutively (a "DOUBLE CONTACT" fault), except during a single blocking action or, on the team's first hit, where the ball may contact several parts of the body in one action provided the contacts occur during one action. When two team-mates touch the ball simultaneously it counts as two hits (three if three players); a collision is not a fault. When two opponents touch the ball simultaneously over the net and it stays in play, the team receiving it is entitled to a new three hits.

The ball may touch any part of the body, but it must be hit, not caught or thrown (a "CATCH" fault otherwise), and it may rebound in any direction. The ball may contact various parts of the body provided the contacts take place simultaneously. Exception (setting / second-contact): a double contact during the setting action is allowed provided the ball remains on the same side of the court - confirmed for 2026 competitions - so an upper-hand finger set with a slight double touch is not penalised when not played directly over the net. An assisted hit (a player taking support from a team-mate or any structure to reach the ball) is a fault.

All actions directing the ball towards the opponents, except service and block, are attack hits. A front-row player may complete an attack hit at any height if the ball is within the playing space. A back-row player may complete an attack hit from behind the front zone, provided that at take-off the foot has not touched or crossed the attack line; the player may land in the front zone. It is a fault to complete an attack hit on the opponents' service when the ball is in the front zone and entirely higher than the net, to hit the ball in the opponents' space, or to send the ball "out".

The ball sent to the opponents must cross the net within the crossing space. While crossing, the ball may touch the net. The ball is "in" if any part of it touches the court including the boundary lines, and "out" if it lands wholly outside the lines, touches an antenna, the posts, ropes, or the net outside the side bands, or crosses the net plane outside the crossing space. (Rule 10.1.2): a ball from the first team hit that crosses to the opponents' free zone through the external space may be played back within the team hits; but a ball from the second or third hit sent through the external space cannot be played back and is judged "out" the moment it crosses the net plane.

Contact with the net by a player between the antennae, during the action of playing the ball, is a fault (the action of playing includes take-off, the hit or attempt, and landing). It is also a fault to touch the ball or an opponent in the opponents' space before or during their attack hit, to interfere with the opponent while penetrating into their space under the net, or to use the net between the antennae as a support. Touching the net outside the antennae, or contacting a post/rope/object outside the antennae, is not a fault provided it does not interfere with play. A player may penetrate into the opponents' court/free zone after the ball provided this does not interfere with the opponents' play.

Blocking is the action of players close to the net to intercept the ball coming from the opponents by reaching higher than the top of the net; only front-row players may complete a block. A blocker may place hands and arms beyond the net but must not touch the ball there before the opponents' attack hit. A block contact is NOT counted as one of the team's three hits - consequently, after a block contact, the team is entitled to three hits to return the ball, and the first hit after the block may be made by any player, including the blocker. Blocking the opponents' service is forbidden, and a back-row player or Libero may not complete or join a block.

Each team may make a maximum of six (6) substitutions per set, and one or more players may be substituted at the same time within one request. A substitution is the act by which a player, after being recorded by the scorer, enters the game to occupy the position of another who leaves the court. A starting player may leave and re-enter the set, but only once and only into his/her previous position; the substitute who replaced the starter may then re-enter only for that same starter. There must be a completed rally between two separate substitution requests by the same team. Substitutions must be carried out within the substitution zone.

A player (except the Libero) who cannot continue due to injury, illness, or expulsion/disqualification should be substituted legally. If a legal substitution is not possible, the team is entitled to an exceptional substitution beyond the limit of six: any player not on court at that moment (except a Libero, second Libero or their replacement) may enter, and the injured/expelled player may not re-enter the match. An expelled or disqualified player must be substituted immediately by a legal substitution; if neither legal nor exceptional substitution is possible, the team is declared incomplete.

A team may designate from the score sheet up to two (2) specialist defensive players: Liberos; for FIVB World/Official senior competitions with more than 12 recorded players, two Liberos are mandatory. Only one Libero is on court at a time (the Acting Libero). The Libero must wear a uniform of a dominant colour contrasting with the rest of the team. The Libero is restricted to performing as a back-row player: the Libero may not complete an attack hit from anywhere if the ball is entirely higher than the net at contact, may not serve, may not block or attempt to block, and a ball set with an overhand finger pass by a Libero in the front zone may not be attacked above net height.

The Libero may replace any back-row player. Libero replacements are not counted as substitutions and are unlimited in number, but there must be a completed rally between two Libero replacements (with limited exceptions). Replacements may only take place while the ball is out of play and before the whistle for service; at the start of a set the Libero may not enter until the 2nd referee has checked the line-up. A Libero who is replaced may not re-enter until a rally has been completed. The two Liberos may replace and be replaced by each other and by the regular replacement player as the rules permit.

The only regular game interruptions are time-outs and substitutions. Each team may request a maximum of two (2) time-outs per set, each lasting 30 seconds, made by the coach or game captain when the ball is out of play and before the whistle for service. The Official Rules 2025-2028 prescribe only these two regular time-outs. Technical Time-Outs are a competition-regulation option: some FIVB World/Official competitions still apply two automatic 60-second Technical Time-Outs in sets 1-4 when the leading team reaches 8 and 16 points, while several Volleyball World broadcast competitions have removed Technical Time-Outs for pace of play. There are no Technical Time-Outs in the deciding 5th set.

An improper action that delays resumption of play is a delay - for example delaying a time-out or substitution, prolonging interruptions, requesting an illegal substitution, or delaying the game by a team member. The first delay by any member of a team in the match is sanctioned with a DELAY WARNING (no other consequence). The second and every subsequent delay of any type by any member of the same team in the same match is a fault sanctioned with a DELAY PENALTY: a point and the service to the opponents. Delay sanctions are team sanctions that remain in force for the whole match and are recorded on the score sheet.

An interval is the time between sets; all intervals last three (3) minutes (the interval between the 2nd and 3rd set may be extended up to 10 minutes by the competent body). After each set the teams change courts (the line-up sheet is delivered for the next set). In the deciding 5th set, once the leading team reaches 8 points the teams change courts immediately without delay, keeping the same positions; if the change is missed it is made as soon as noticed and the score remains the same. Before a deciding set a new toss is conducted.

If a serious accident occurs while the ball is in play, the referee stops play immediately and permits medical assistance, and the rally is replayed. If an injured player cannot be substituted legally or exceptionally, a recovery time of up to 3 minutes is granted, but only once for the same player in the match; if the player still cannot continue, the team is declared incomplete. In case of external interference, play is stopped and the rally replayed. Prolonged interruptions are managed by the referees so that the match resumes with the score acquired wherever possible.

Minor misconduct offences are not subject to sanction. It is the 1st referee's duty to prevent teams from approaching the sanctioning level in two stages: Stage 1, a verbal warning issued through the game captain; Stage 2, a YELLOW CARD to the offending team member. The yellow card is not itself a sanction - it is a formal symbol that the team member has reached the sanctioning level for the match, recorded on the score sheet, with no immediate consequence and no point awarded.

Misconduct is sanctioned by seriousness as individual sanctions that remain in force for the whole match: PENALTY (RED card) for rude conduct - the first rude conduct in the match by any team member is penalised with a point and service to the opponents. EXPULSION (RED + YELLOW cards held together) for offensive conduct - the team member leaves the playing area and cannot return for the rest of the set, with no other consequence. DISQUALIFICATION (RED + YELLOW cards held separately) for physical attack or attempted/threatened aggression - the team member leaves the competition-control area for the rest of the match. Repetition is sanctioned progressively; offensive conduct or aggression do not require a prior sanction.

A match is controlled by a 1st referee (seated on a stand at one end of the net, with full authority over all members of the teams and officials, whose decisions are final) and a 2nd referee (on the opposite side, assisting and controlling time-outs, substitutions, court changes, the scorer's table and penetration/net faults on his/her side). They are assisted by a scorer, and by two or four line judges who signal in/out and antenna/foot faults with flags. For FIVB, World and Official Competitions a Challenge referee (when the Video Challenge System is in use), a reserve referee and an assistant scorer are compulsory.

For FIVB, World and Official Competitions the Video Challenge System (VCS) lets teams request a video review of eligible decisions (ball in/out, antenna touch, net touch, foot fault at service, attack-line and back-row faults, block touch and ball-contact calls). The headline 2025-2028 change: challenges may be requested ONLY after the rally has concluded (mid-rally challenges were eliminated), and a team may then review any action from that completed rally, including the serve. Each team has two (2) challenge requests per set, made by the game captain. A team retains its challenge when the request is successful or the footage is inconclusive, and loses it only when the request is unsuccessful.