5-a-side and futsal rules: how many players, how long and what is different?
In short
Futsal and 5-a-side both have five players per team, goalkeeper included. FIFA's futsal laws set two 20-minute halves on a stopped clock, a low-bounce ball, kick-ins, four-second restarts and a free kick from 10 m on a team's sixth foul in a half. 5-a-side follows each league's own rules: many ban slide tackles, some set a head-height limit, and match length is up to the league.
How many players are in futsal and 5-a-side?
Both games have five players a side, goalkeeper included: four outfield players and one keeper. Under FIFA's futsal laws a match can't start or continue if either team has fewer than three players.
Substitutions. Futsal substitutions are unlimited and rolling. A player can come off, and later go back on, at any time, whether the ball is in play or not. Players use their own team's substitution zone, and the referees don't need to authorise the change. Competition rules decide how many substitutes a team may name, up to nine in official competitions. If a player is sent off, the team plays a player short for two minutes of playing time, or sooner if the opposing team scores while it has more players.
5-a-side leagues set their own squad limits. Two UK operators show the range:
| League | Squad rules |
|---|---|
| Powerleague 5-a-side | Up to 8 players, including 3 substitutes |
| Goals 5-a-side | Four outfield players and a keeper on the pitch, up to 3 substitutes, and a game can start with 3 players |
Both run 7-a-side too, with six outfield players and a keeper. Powerleague allows a squad of 10 including 3 substitutes, and Goals allows up to 3 substitutes. 7-a-side rules differ from 5-a-side and vary by league, so ask whether offside and slide tackles apply.
How long is a futsal game?
A FIFA futsal match is two periods of 20 minutes of playing time. The timekeeper stops the clock whenever the ball is out of play, so a match takes noticeably longer than 40 minutes on the wall clock. The half-time interval lasts up to 15 minutes, and each team gets one one-minute timeout per period. Competition rules may shorten the periods.
A level match is a draw. When a competition needs a winner, the Laws allow only the away-goals rule, two equal periods of extra time of up to five minutes each, penalties, or a combination.
5-a-side has no fixed length, and leagues choose their own. Powerleague games last 30, 40 or 50 minutes depending on the league, in two equal halves. Goals leaves the length of each half to the club. For a casual game, agree three things before kick-off: how long each half is, who keeps time, and whether the clock stops when the ball is out of play.
Plan around your pitch slot as well: ask the venue how long it lasts, and leave a few minutes to change over.
How do kick-ins and four-second restarts work in futsal?
Futsal has no throw-ins and no offside. The ball is smaller than a normal football and has a reduced bounce, so it stays on the floor. FIFA's measurements are 62–64 cm around and 400–440 g, and it must bounce between 50 and 65 cm when dropped from 2 m. That is a size 4 futsal ball.
- Kick-in. When the whole ball crosses the touchline or hits the ceiling, the other team kicks it in. The ball sits still on the touchline, opponents stand at least 5 m away, and the ball is in play once it is kicked and clearly moves. You can't score directly from a kick-in.
- Goal clearance. When the attackers send the ball over the end line without scoring, the goalkeeper throws or releases it from inside the penalty area.
- Corner kick. When the defenders send it over their own end line, the attackers kick it from the corner.
- Four seconds. A team has four seconds from being ready to take a kick-in, goal clearance, corner kick or free kick. Run out the clock and the other team gets the restart, or an indirect free kick.
- Goalkeeper. A keeper who controls the ball in their own half for more than four seconds concedes an indirect free kick.
A referee shows the count clearly. There is no four-second count at kick-offs or penalty kicks.
What are accumulated fouls in futsal?
Accumulated fouls are the fouls that earn a direct free kick, such as a reckless tackle, a push, holding an opponent or a deliberate handball. Each team's count is kept per half, and the timekeeper signals when a team commits its fifth.
From the sixth accumulated foul in a half, and for every foul after it, the other team takes a direct free kick from the 10 m mark, with no wall. The kicker must try to score. If the foul happened between the end line and an imaginary line 10 m out, the kicker may choose the 10 m mark or the place of the foul. The defending keeper must stay at least 5 m from the ball. Everyone else must be behind the ball, at least 5 m away and outside the penalty area.
A foul inside the offender's own penalty area is a penalty kick instead. Penalties are taken from 6 m.
| Count in a half | What happens after a direct free kick foul |
|---|---|
| Fouls 1 to 5 | Direct free kick from the place of the foul, with a wall allowed |
| Foul 6 and every later one | Direct free kick from the 10 m mark, no wall |
| Any foul in the offender's penalty area | Penalty kick |
The counts reset at the start of the second half. If extra time is played, the second-half count carries on into it.
What are the usual 5-a-side rules?
5-a-side has no single rulebook. FIFA publishes laws for futsal, but 5-a-side runs on each league's own rules, and informal games often agree theirs before kick-off. These are the rules leagues settle most often, with examples from Powerleague's and Goals' published rules, checked in October 2026:
- Head height. Powerleague doesn't allow the ball above head height, benchmarked at about 6 ft with the referee deciding, and bans heading too. Goals has no ball-height rule for outfield players.
- Slide tackles. Both operators ban them. Goals also bans playing the ball while on the floor or on one knee.
- The penalty area. Only the keeper may be inside. A defender who enters to gain an advantage concedes a penalty at both. At Goals an attacker who enters gives the keeper the ball.
- The goalkeeper. Both keep the keeper inside the area, with a penalty against a keeper who leaves it (at Goals, to gain an advantage). Powerleague allows an underarm roll only and gives six seconds to release. Both restrict pass-backs to the keeper, and at Goals the ball must touch two different outfield players after the keeper distributes it.
- Boards. At Powerleague the ball stays live when it rebounds off the side boards or the goal.
- Sin bins. A sin-binned player misses two minutes at Powerleague. At Goals every yellow card is a three-minute sin bin, and two yellows make a red.
- Offside. Wikipedia's overview says 5-a-side has no offside rule. Confirm it for your league.
Before kick-off, ask five questions. Is there a head-height rule? Are slide tackles allowed? Can the keeper leave the area? Do the boards keep the ball in play? How long is each half?
What is the difference between futsal and 5-a-side?
Futsal is played to FIFA's laws with a low-bounce ball. 5-a-side is a family of league and house rules. They share the five-player team and a small pitch, and little else is fixed.
| Futsal (FIFA Laws) | 5-a-side (league rules) | |
|---|---|---|
| Rulebook | FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game | Each league's own rules |
| Players | 5 including the goalkeeper | 5 including the goalkeeper |
| Match length | 2 × 20 minutes of playing time, clock stopped when the ball is out | Set by the league, such as 30, 40 or 50 minutes |
| Pitch | 25–42 m × 16–25 m, goals 3 m × 2 m | Varies; may be enclosed by boards |
| Ball | 62–64 cm, 400–440 g, low bounce | Varies by venue |
| Offside | None | Usually none |
| Fouls | Accumulated fouls, free kick from 10 m from the sixth in a half | Sin bins, penalties for area offences |
| Slide tackles | Not named in the Laws; any tackle is judged careless, reckless or excessive force | Often banned |
| Restarts | Kick-ins, four-second restarts | Varies by league |
Treat the name on a booking as a hint, not a rule. Ask the venue whether it plays the FIFA futsal laws or its own 5-a-side rules, and which ball it uses.
How does Flobit help with 5-a-side and futsal?
Flobit's football formats are 5-, 7- and 11-a-side, so a futsal or 5-a-side night fits. Pick the format, tap a goal for the scoring side, and undo a mis-tap. Casual players join a side one at a time, and nobody needs a registered team. If someone joins as the referee, they can log who scored and who assisted, yellow and red cards and substitutions. A casual game can end level. In a league a level score is a draw, and in a knockout it goes to penalties. Flobit is free, with no ads and no subscription.
- Find players. Post an open match with the format, time and venue. Players nearby ask to join, and you approve who plays.
- Share one link. A Quick Match lobby has an 8-character code, a QR code and a flobit.app/join link, and guests need no account.
- Keep the group going. How to organize pickup games covers slots and numbers, and how to stop no-shows covers the rest.
- Run a league or cup. Tournament formats compares leagues, groups and knockouts.
Flobit keeps the score and the match events. Your league or your group still decides the rules on the pitch. Flobit doesn't book pitches. The football page has the rest.
Frequently asked questions
How many players are in futsal?
Five per team, including the goalkeeper, so four outfield players and one keeper. A futsal match can't start or continue if either team has fewer than three players. Substitutions are unlimited, and a player who came off can go back on later, through the team's own substitution zone.
How long is a futsal game?
Two periods of 20 minutes of playing time, on a clock that stops whenever the ball is out of play, so it lasts longer than 40 minutes on the wall clock. Half-time is up to 15 minutes, and each team has a one-minute timeout in each period. Competition rules may shorten the periods.
What is the difference between futsal and 5-a-side?
Futsal follows FIFA's laws: a low-bounce ball, kick-ins, four-second restarts and accumulated fouls. 5-a-side follows each league's own rules, which often bring a head-height limit, a slide tackle ban and a goalkeeper kept inside the area. Both have five players a side, goalkeeper included.
Is there offside in futsal?
No. FIFA's futsal laws state that there is no offside in futsal. 5-a-side is usually played without offside too, but it depends on the league, so ask before the game. 7-a-side rules vary more, so check there as well.
What is the four-second rule in futsal?
A team has four seconds to take a kick-in, goal clearance, corner kick or free kick once it is ready. If it runs out, the other team gets the restart or an indirect free kick. A goalkeeper who controls the ball in their own half for more than four seconds also concedes an indirect free kick.
What happens on the sixth foul in futsal?
Each team's fouls that earn a direct free kick are counted per half. From the sixth, the other team takes a direct free kick from the 10 m mark with no wall, and the kicker must try to score. If the sixth or a later foul is inside the offender's penalty area, it is a penalty kick.
Can you slide tackle in 5-a-side?
In many leagues, no. Powerleague and Goals both ban slide tackles. FIFA's futsal laws don't name slide tackles, but any tackle or challenge that is careless, reckless or uses excessive force gives a direct free kick. Ask your league or your group which rule applies.
How long is a 5-a-side game?
There is no fixed length. Powerleague games last 30, 40 or 50 minutes depending on the league, in two equal halves, and Goals lets each club set the length of a half. For a casual game, agree the half length, who keeps time and whether the clock stops when the ball is out of play.
Sources
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