Futsal rules

The pitch, goals and ball

• Pitch: 25 to 42 metres long and 16 to 25 metres wide (38 to 42 by 20 to 25 for international matches).
• Goals: 3 metres wide and 2 metres high.
• Penalty mark: 6 metres from goal. Second penalty mark: 10 metres.
• Ball: smaller than a size 5 and made to bounce less, so it stays on the floor.
• Substitution zone: 5 metres long in front of each bench; subs go on and off there.

Time

Two halves of 20 minutes, played on a stopped clock: whenever the ball is out of play, the clock stops, so a match takes well over 40 minutes in real time. Each team can call a one-minute time-out in each half.

The rules that make futsal different

• Kick-ins: when the ball goes over the touchline, it's kicked back in from the line, not thrown.
• Four seconds: kick-ins, free kicks, corners and goal clearances must be taken within four seconds, and the goalkeeper has four seconds with the ball in their own half.
• Accumulated fouls: direct free-kick fouls add up in each half. From a team's sixth, every foul gives the other team a free kick from the second penalty mark, 10 metres out, with no wall.
• Goal clearance: the keeper restarts with a throw from the penalty area, not a goal kick.
• No offside, and no head-height rule.

Futsal or 5-a-side?

Most weekly five-a-side games aren't futsal: they're in a cage with boards and house rules. Our futsal vs 5-a-side guide sets out the differences, and the 5-a-side rules guide has the usual house rules. Either way, the team generator splits the players into two fair fives.

Questions