How many players in a football team?

11 a side, and at least seven

Under the Laws of the Game a team has at most eleven players on the pitch, and one must be the goalkeeper. A match can't start, or continue, if either team has fewer than seven, which is why a game is abandoned after enough red cards or injuries.

Substitutes

In official competitions a team can use up to five substitutes, in no more than three stoppages during the game, plus any at half-time. Competitions name between three and fifteen substitutes on the team sheet, and some also allow extra substitutes for concussion.

In youth, veterans, disability and grassroots football, competitions can allow return (rolling) substitutions, where a player who's come off can go back on. That's normal in small-sided games: more in our guide to substitution rules.

Small-sided football

• 5-a-side: four outfield players and a keeper. The most common weekly game. 5-a-side rules.
• 6-a-side: five and a keeper, often on a bigger 5-a-side pitch. 6-a-side rules.
• 7-a-side: six and a keeper. 7-a-side rules.
• 8-a-side: seven and a keeper, usually on a 7-a-side pitch or bigger. 8-a-side rules.
• 9-a-side: eight and a keeper, the step before 11 a side. 9-a-side rules.
• Futsal: five a side with a keeper and unlimited substitutions. Futsal rules.

Youth football

In England, from the 2026-27 season, England Football's recommended format grows with the age group:

• [Under-7s](/guides/u7-football-rules): 3v3.
• Under-8s and under-9s: 5v5.
• Under-10s and under-11s: 7v7.
• Under-12s and under-13s: 9v9.
• Under-14s upwards: 11v11.

Got the numbers? Now make it fair

Whatever the format, an odd number or a few strong players can wreck a game. The team generator splits any number from 4 to 30 into fair sides with the keepers apart, and the equal playing time calculator shares the minutes when you have subs.

Questions