Soccer Rules Quiz: Do You Really Know the Game?

A standard professional soccer match consists of two halves of 45 minutes each, totaling 90 minutes of regular playing time. The referee adds stoppage time at the end of each half to compensate for time lost during injuries, substitutions, and other delays. If the match requires a winner and is level after 90 minutes, two additional periods of 15 minutes each may be played, bringing the maximum to 120 minutes before a potential penalty shootout.

The answer is False. Under the Laws of the Game, a player cannot be ruled offside if they receive the ball directly from a throw-in, regardless of their position on the pitch at the time. The same exemption applies to goal kicks and corner kicks. These three restarts are specifically excluded from the offside rule, meaning a player can stand in an otherwise offside position and legally receive the ball from a throw-in without any infringement being called.

According to the Laws of the Game, a match must be abandoned if a team has fewer than seven players on the field. This means seven is the minimum number required for play to continue. If a team is reduced to six players or fewer through red cards or injuries, the referee must stop the match. In practice, referees use their discretion and the rule exists to ensure competitive play can continue in a meaningful way.

The curved arc at the top of the penalty area is commonly called the D and exists purely to enforce the ten-yard exclusion rule during penalty kicks. It is not a separate area with different rules and serves no other purpose in general open play. Players from both teams, except the penalty taker and the goalkeeper, must remain outside both the penalty area and the D until the kick has been taken.

The answer is False. A goal kick in soccer can be taken from anywhere inside the six-yard box, not just along the six-yard line. More importantly, a rule change by IFAB in 2019 removed the requirement for the ball to leave the penalty area before it can be touched by another player. Since the 2019-20 season, teammates of the goal kick taker are permitted to receive and touch the ball while it is still inside the penalty area, changing how teams build out from the back.

Dangerous play, such as a high kick near an opponent's head or a move that puts another player in danger without making contact, results in an indirect free kick rather than a direct free kick. Unlike physical fouls such as tripping, pushing, or deliberate handball, which result in direct free kicks, dangerous play is a technical offense. An indirect free kick requires the ball to touch at least one other player before a goal can be scored directly from it.

When a player who has already received a yellow card in the same match commits another bookable offense, the referee must show a second yellow card immediately followed by a red card. The player is then sent off and cannot be replaced by a substitute for the remainder of the match. This two-yellow-equals-red rule is one of the most fundamental disciplinary mechanisms in soccer and applies across all levels of the professional and amateur game.

The answer is True. The referee retains the authority to stop play and disallow a goal if they become aware that a foul was committed in the build-up to the goal, even if it was not immediately detected. In competitions using VAR, the Video Assistant Referee can also review incidents in the build-up to a goal and alert the on-field referee to potential fouls or handball incidents that may have contributed to the goal being scored.

Opposing players must stand at least ten yards from the corner arc when a corner kick is being taken. This is consistent with the ten-yard rule that applies to most set piece situations in soccer, including free kicks. The ten-yard rule gives the team taking the corner a fair opportunity to deliver the ball without immediate pressure from defenders. Referees can caution players who deliberately encroach inside the ten-yard distance before the kick is taken.

A penalty kick is awarded when a foul that would normally result in a direct free kick is committed by a defending player inside their own penalty area. Deliberate handball by a defender, the goalkeeper tripping an attacker, and a defender pulling an attacker's shirt inside the box all qualify as direct free kick offenses and therefore result in a penalty. An attacker who dives and simulates a foul receives a yellow card for simulation rather than being awarded a penalty, making option C incorrect.

Under the Laws of the Game, a goalkeeper must release the ball within six seconds of controlling it with their hands. If they exceed this time limit, the referee awards an indirect free kick to the opposing team from the spot where the offense occurred, which would typically be inside the penalty area. In practice, referees rarely apply this rule rigidly and tend to give a warning first, but the rule exists to prevent goalkeepers from wasting time excessively.

The answer is False. Under the Laws of the Game, a player who has left the field of play to receive medical treatment must receive permission from the referee before re-entering the pitch. The player must wait for a stoppage in play and signal to the referee before returning. This rule exists to maintain the referee's control over the number of players on the field at any given time and to prevent teams from substituting or introducing extra players without proper authorization.

Under a rule introduced by IFAB in 2019, if the ball touches the referee and goes directly into either goal, or if it creates a goal-scoring opportunity, play is stopped and restarted with a drop ball. This replaced the previous rule where the ball was considered in play after hitting the referee. The change was made to ensure fairness and prevent goals from being scored in situations influenced by the incidental involvement of a match official.

When the ball crosses the touchline, the sideline running the length of the pitch, the correct restart is always a throw-in awarded to the team that did not touch the ball last. It does not matter which team's player touched it last when the ball exits over the touchline, the restart is always a throw-in. A corner kick and a goal kick are only awarded when the ball crosses the goal line at either end of the pitch, not the touchline.

When taking a throw-in, the player must have both feet on or behind the touchline at the moment of delivery, must use both hands to deliver the ball from behind and over their head, and a goal cannot be scored directly from a throw-in without another player touching the ball first. The thrower cannot touch the ball again until it has been touched by another player from either team. Doing so results in an indirect free kick for the opposing team, making option D incorrect.