Laws of the Game 2026/27
2026/27
The official collection covering the field, equipment, players, officials, match procedures and decisions.
Association football; use the edition adopted by your competition.
Open official source ↗Ekipi / Rules & guidance
Rules & guidance
Choose the rules for your sport, country, age group, format and competition. Football sources below do not apply automatically to other sports.
Sources reviewed: 10 November 2026. Open the official source for its full text and selected edition.
Plan a booking window ↗Law 7: match duration and breaks
2026/27 checked; live source
The standard format has two 45-minute halves. Half-time must not exceed 15 minutes. The referee adds time for interruptions, and competition rules specify the interval.
Association football; permitted variations and competition rules can change the format.
Open official source ↗Law 10: deciding a drawn match
2026/27 checked; live source
A cup label alone does not determine extra time. Competition rules select the permitted deciding procedure. Where used, extra time consists of two equal periods of no more than 15 minutes each.
Competitions requiring a winner; check the particular competition rules.
Open official source ↗Permitted modifications
2026/27 checked; live source
Permitted adaptations include playing duration, player numbers, field and equipment dimensions and certain substitution procedures. Select the rules for the actual format and competition.
National-association provisions for youth, veterans, disability and grassroots football.
Open official source ↗The FA Handbook 2026–27
2026–27
Official FA rules and regulations for the season, including the competition administration framework. Keep the league or cup's adopted rules alongside the handbook.
England; competition and affiliation requirements must be selected for the relevant league.
Open official source ↗2026/27 law changes explained
2026/27
An official starting point for reviewing the season's law changes before a competition begins.
Season changes explained by The FA; applicability depends on the competition.
Open official source ↗Youth football: U7 format guide
Official live guide checked 10 November 2026
The current guide describes 3v3 play, league-selected matches of 6–10 minutes and a 60-minute daily maximum. Track each child's total participation across events, not only a team's pitch booking.
England U7 development football; not an adult or general youth preset.
Open official source ↗FIFA rules and reports
Official live catalogue
FIFA's official legal-document library. Consult it for the relevant regulations and keep competition documents linked to the event.
Select the document, competition and edition that apply; catalogue access is not a competition approval.
Open official source ↗Safeguarding in digital communications
Official live guidance
Guidance for football websites, social media and communications involving children. Guardian links and communication visibility need to be reflected in the club's setup.
England football organisations, officials, parents and carers.
Open official source ↗Referee safeguarding qualification requirements
Official article updated 26 March 2026
Check the required safeguarding qualification and its current status against the official FA record. Uploads and extracted dates do not establish issuer verification.
FA referee registration; requirements depend on the official's circumstances.
Open official source ↗DBS checks: official guidance
Official live guidance
A DBS criminal-record check has no official expiry date. Record its issue date and the organisation's recheck deadline separately rather than inventing a printed expiry.
England and Wales; the organisation decides which checks and rechecks are appropriate to the role.
Open official source ↗Age categories
Ekipi organiser defaults: mixed adult ages 18+, veterans 35+, super veterans 45+. Competitions can set their specific minimum ages. These labels do not define every sport’s or the FA’s eligibility rules.
England youth football — 2026/27
Age bands use age at midnight on 31 August at the start of the playing season. U7 normally corresponds to age 6, U8 to 7, continuing to U18 at 17. A child must have turned 6 to play a match. Normally one band up is permitted; a child turning 6 after the cutoff stays in U7 that season. Specific approved exceptions need their applicable rules.
U7
3v3
U8–U9
5v5
U10–U11
7v7
U12–U13
9v9
U14–U18
11v11
For applicable FA U7–U11 competitions, ordinary fixture results and grading tables must not be published. The code permits trophy-event results where those events are allowed; this is not a general permission for public youth tables. Verify the competition’s adopted rules before publication.
FA Handbook 2026–27: youth Rules 18(C), 20 and 21(D) · Official FutureFit pathway
Periods and breaks are separate
The current England Football guides describe U15 play as two 35-minute halves, with a 70-minute playing limit; U10/U11 has a 50-minute playing limit. A four-period plan of 12.5 minutes each totals 50 minutes of play. Ten additional minutes of breaks produce a 60-minute match window, before any warm-up or changeover. Use the approved competition format and track each player’s daily participation separately.
Official U15 guidance · Official U10/U11 guidance
Reviewed 11 November 2026. Source summaries support planning; actual registration eligibility, exceptions, match rules and season changes require the adopted competition rules.
Ekipi fair play and respect
Abuse is not part of the game. Ekipi does not tolerate threats, intimidation, discriminatory abuse, harassment or violence toward players, officials, coaches, volunteers or spectators. Respect applies before, during and after events, including online messages.
- Compete fairly, respect opponents and protect the welfare of children and officials.
- Challenge a score or decision through the competition’s proper review route. Disagreement never justifies abuse.
- Follow the sport’s match-official and safety procedures. Serious concerns must go to the appropriate competition, safeguarding or governing-body channel.
- Keep incident reports confidential, retain relevant evidence, and distinguish reported allegations from reviewed findings. Applicable sanctions and appeal rights belong to the authorised competition or governing body.
For English football, use the FA’s current Respect and behaviour guidance, including its adopted match-official communication procedures. Other sports need their own codes.
FA Respect codes · 2026/27 positive-behaviour guidance · FA discrimination reporting
Ekipi’s incident-reporting and moderation tools are being built. This page does not submit a report to an external authority or impose an FA sanction.