Futsal Rules and Competition Format

Equipment

• No cleats of any kind are allowed in indoor leagues.
• All players must wear sneakers or indoor soccer shoes.
• Games are played on turf and/or a basketball court.
• Indoor turf shoes without cleats or spikes are recommended.
• All games will be played with a futsal ball.
• Shin guards are required for all players.

Game Format

• Games consist of two 20-minute halves with a 1-minute halftime.
• There is no overtime, injury time, or stoppage time during regular play.
• Half length, halftime, and game timing are at the discretion of the referee.
• Teams consist of four field players and one goalkeeper.
• The goalkeeper must wear a jersey color different from the field players.
• There is no offside in futsal.

Standings Points

Standings during group play or league play will be awarded as follows:

• Win: 3 points
• Draw/Tie: 1 point
• Loss: 0 points

Goals

• Players may shoot and score from anywhere on the field, except where otherwise restricted by restart rules.
• Goals scored do not provide additional standings points.
• Shutouts do not provide additional standings points.

Advancement

• In age groups with one bracket, the top two teams advance to the final.
• In age groups with two brackets, the top team from each bracket advances to the final.

Tie-Breaking Procedures

If two or more teams are tied on total points after group play, ties will be broken in the following order:

Two-Team Tie

If exactly two teams are tied on points, the following tie-breakers will be applied in order until the tie is broken:

1. Head-to-head result
2. Most wins
3. Goal differential (maximum of +5 per game)
4. Fewest goals allowed
5. Most goals scored
6. Most shutouts
7. Disciplinary record
8. Coin toss or drawing of lots by the tournament director

Three-Team or Multi-Team Tie

If three or more teams are tied on points, the following tie-breakers will be applied in order until the tie is broken:

1. Points earned in matches among the tied teams only
2. Most wins in matches among the tied teams only
3. Goal differential in matches among the tied teams only (maximum of +5 per game)
4. Fewest goals allowed in matches among the tied teams only
5. Most goals scored in matches among the tied teams only
6. Most shutouts in matches among the tied teams only
7. Overall goal differential (maximum of +5 per game)
8. Overall fewest goals allowed
9. Overall most goals scored
10. Overall most shutouts
11. Disciplinary record
12. Coin toss or drawing of lots by the tournament director

Reapplication of Tie-Breakers

If, after applying the multi-team tie-breakers, one or more teams are separated but two teams remain tied, the tie-breakers will then be reapplied beginning with the two-team tie procedure.

Substitutions

• All substitutions are on the fly.
• A substitute may not enter the match until the player being replaced has reached the touchline in the substitution zone.
• A substitute who enters before the replaced player has completely left the field may be shown a yellow card.
• All substitutions must take place at the halfway line.

Restarts

Kickoffs

• Kickoffs are indirect.
• The away team starts with the kickoff.
• The ball must touch an attacking player before a goal can be scored.

Kick-Ins

• There are no throw-ins; play is restarted with a kick-in when the ball goes out over the touchline.
• Kick-ins are indirect.
• The ball must touch an attacking player before a goal can be scored.
• The ball must be placed on the line or no more than 10 inches behind it.
• The kick must be taken within 5 seconds.
• The kicker’s non-kicking foot must be either on the line or out of bounds.
• A kick-in that goes directly into the opposing goal results in a goal clearance for the opposing team.
• A kick-in that goes directly into the kicking team’s own goal results in a corner kick for the opposing team.

Goal Clearances

• A goal clearance is awarded when the ball completely crosses the goal line after last being touched by the attacking team.
• The goalkeeper must restart play using the hands by rolling, bouncing, or throwing the ball from anywhere inside the penalty area to outside the penalty area.

Corner Kicks / Friendly Corners

• There are no traditional corner kicks; only friendly corners are used.
• If the ball goes over the end line off the attacking team, it is a goal kick/goal clearance for the defending team.
• Intentional clearances by the defending team over their own end line result in an indirect free kick for the attacking team from the point where the ball went out of bounds.

Free Kicks

• All free kicks are indirect.
• The ball must come to a complete stop before the kick is taken.
• The ball must touch an attacking player before a goal can be scored.

Penalty Kicks

• Penalty kicks are taken from the penalty spot.
• The kick must be taken by a clearly identified kicker.
• Defenders must remain around the penalty arc until the ball is kicked.

Distance

• On all restarts except goal clearances, opponents must be at least 4 yards from the ball.

Ceiling

• If the ball hits the ceiling or another overhead object, play restarts with a kick-in by the team that did not touch the ball last.
• The kick-in is taken from the nearest point on the touchline.

Fouls and Misconduct

Fouls

• All fouls result in an indirect free kick.

Yellow Card / Caution

• A player shown a yellow card is cautioned.
• A player who receives two yellow cards in the same match will be shown a red card and sent off.

Red Card / Ejection

• When a player is sent off, that player’s team must play short for two minutes, unless the opposing team scores before the two-minute penalty expires.
• The sent-off player will serve a minimum one-match suspension.

Advantage

• Advantage may be applied by the referee in futsal.

Penalty Spot

• The penalty spot is 20 feet from the center of the goal.

The Goalkeeper

The goalkeeper:

• Must wear a different color shirt than the field players.
• May wear long pants or other safe protective padding, subject to referee approval.
• May kick the ball directly over the halfway line.
• May score directly with the feet during the run of play.
• May not punt or drop-kick the ball.
• Must allow the ball to settle to the ground or be touched first before kicking it; there may be no “air” under the ball when kicked.
• May not possess the ball for more than 5 seconds in his or her own half.
• May throw the ball directly across the halfway line.
• If the goalkeeper throws the ball directly into the opposing goal, the result is a goal clearance for the opposing team.
• May not pick up the ball when it is intentionally passed by a teammate, except from a header.

Extra Time and Penalty Kicks

Applies only to finals.

• If the teams are tied at the end of regulation in the final, there will be one 5-minute golden-goal extra time period.
• The first team to score during extra time wins the match.
• If the teams remain tied after extra time, the match will be decided by penalty kicks.
• Penalty kicks will consist of 3 kickers from each team, followed by sudden-death kicks one-for-one until a winner is determined.