Laws of the Game
What changed in the 2026/27 Laws
The changes that alter what you do on the field, in force since 1 July 2026.
The IFAB agreed this edition at its Annual General Meeting in February 2026, and it came into force on 1 July 2026. A competition already under way when that date passed may finish its season under the previous edition, so check which edition your competition is using before you referee. The full list of amendments is published by The IFAB: Law changes.
No caution when advantage produces the goal
When a defender denies an obvious goalscoring opportunity, the referee can play advantage instead of stopping play. Under this edition, if that advantage leads to a goal, the offender is no longer cautioned. The logic is that nothing was denied: the team scored. If the advantage does not produce a goal, the usual DOGSO sanctions still apply.
The goalkeeper's eight seconds, and a corner kick
A goalkeeper controlling the ball with the hands may hold it for up to eight seconds, counted down visibly by the referee's raised hand for the last five. Holding it longer is punished with a corner kick to the opponents rather than the old indirect free kick. US material that still teaches six seconds and an indirect free kick is out of date.
Visible countdowns at throw-ins and goal kicks
The same five-second visual countdown applies to a throw-in and a goal kick that is being delayed, so players can see the time they have left rather than guess at the referee's patience.
Penalty kicks: the accidental double touch
If the kicker accidentally touches the ball twice — most often a slip where the standing foot clips the ball before the kicking foot — and the ball goes in, the kick is retaken. If it does not go in, an indirect free kick is awarded. The automatic caution for the kicker is gone, because the double touch was not deliberate.
Dropped ball possession
The Law is clearer about which team receives a dropped ball and where, so the restart matches who had, or would have had, the ball when play stopped. Everyone else must stay four metres away until it is in play.
Conduct: two send-off offences competitions may adopt
Two behaviours become send-off offences where a competition adopts them: covering the mouth to hide discriminatory or abusive comments, and leaving the field in protest at a decision. Because they are a competition option rather than automatic, check your competition's rules.
Reviews, and what is coming next
Where VAR is used, the protocol now covers an incorrect second caution and cases of mistaken identity, and referees may wear body cameras where a competition permits it.
One dated change is already scheduled: the "only the captain may approach the referee" protocol becomes compulsory on 1 July 2027. Many competitions already run it as an option, so the practical change for most referees will be that it stops being optional.
What this means in the United States
These changes apply to matches played under the Laws of the Game. High school soccer under NFHS rules and college soccer under NCAA rules do not adopt IFAB changes automatically, and each publishes its own rule changes on its own schedule. Youth competitions may also modify the Laws within the limits the Laws allow.
This is an explanation, not the LawLaws of the Game 2026/27 is published by The IFAB and is the text that governs: read the official changes. Halfline is not affiliated with or endorsed by The IFAB, FIFA, US Soccer, the NFHS or the NCAA. Last reviewed.