Small-sided football is the most played version of the game. Office teams book a pitch for an hour, children learn on half-size fields, and leagues run on caged artificial grass every evening. Yet there is no single official rulebook for 7-a-side or 5-a-side: venues and leagues adapt the IFAB Laws of the Game (2026/27 edition) to smaller pitches and fewer players. This guide explains the rules you will meet most often, the youth formats used by the FA, US Soccer and other federations, and the questions to settle before the first whistle. To pick fair sides quickly, use our random team generator.
What stays the same as 11-a-side
Whatever the format, the core of the IFAB Laws still applies:
- Goals are scored when the whole ball crosses the goal line between the posts and under the bar.
- Fouls are judged the same way: careless, reckless or excessive-force challenges, holding, pushing, tripping and deliberate handball.
- Yellow and red cards are used for misconduct, although many leagues add sin bins (temporary dismissals), which the Laws allow as a competition option at grassroots level.
- The referee’s decision is final.
What changes are the numbers, the pitch, the restarts and a few safety rules.
Team size and substitutions
| Format | On the pitch | Typical squad |
|---|---|---|
| 5-a-side | 4 outfield + GK | 7–8 |
| 6-a-side | 5 outfield + GK | 8–9 |
| 7-a-side | 6 outfield + GK | 9–12 |
| 8-a-side | 7 outfield + GK | 10–12 |
| 9v9 (youth) | 8 outfield + GK | 12–14 |
Almost every small-sided league uses rolling substitutions: players can come off and go back on any number of times, usually from a marked zone near halfway and only when the player leaving has reached the touchline. Our lineup builder works for 5-, 7- and 9-player formations.
Pitch size and goals
Small-sided pitches vary widely, so rules are written around the facility.
| Format | Typical pitch (adult recreational) |
|---|---|
| 5-a-side | about 30–40 m × 18–25 m, often caged |
| 7-a-side | about 45–55 m × 25–30 m |
| 9v9 | larger, often across half of a full-size pitch |
Goals are much smaller than the 7.32 × 2.44 m (8 yd × 8 ft) full-size goal. Venues choose their own, and some 5-a-side centres use futsal-size 3 × 2 m goals.
Treat these as typical, not official. Federations publish recommended youth pitch and goal sizes for each age group, and adult venues build to their own space. Compare formats with our soccer field dimensions tool.
Common house rules
These are the points where leagues and venues differ most. Agree them before kick-off.
Offside
Most recreational 7-a-side and 5-a-side games have no offside. Some competitive leagues use offside only in the final third, or only inside a marked zone.
Restarts from the touchline
- Kick-ins are common in 5-a-side and on caged pitches, with the ball placed on the line.
- Throw-ins are used in many 7-a-side and most youth 7v7 and 9v9 formats.
- In caged venues, the ball often stays in play off the boards and is only out when it goes over the fence or above the netting.
Goalkeepers and the penalty area
- Many 5-a-side venues mark a “D” or keeper area that outfield players may not enter. A defender inside gives away a penalty; an attacker inside gives away a free kick.
- Goalkeepers often may not pick up a back-pass, mirroring the 11-a-side law.
- Some leagues restrict goalkeeper distribution, for example no throws over halfway.
Height restrictions
Some 5-a-side leagues give a free kick if the ball goes above head height (or above the crossbar height) other than from a shot or the goalkeeper. This is unusual in 7-a-side.
Slide tackles
Many commercial venues ban slide tackles on artificial grass, punished by a direct free kick or a penalty if it happens in the area. Formal competitions that follow the full Laws allow fair slide tackles.
Duration
Recreational games normally run on a running clock inside the booked slot, for example two halves of 20–25 minutes in a one-hour booking. League fixtures in organised small-sided competitions are often shorter. An online scoreboard on a phone keeps time and score at pitch side.
Youth small-sided formats
Federations use small-sided games so that children get more touches, more shots and more decisions. Age bands vary by country and are revised over time, so treat these as typical:
| Federation | Typical progression |
|---|---|
| The FA (England) | 5v5 at U7–U8, 7v7 at U9–U10, 9v9 at U11–U12, 11v11 from U13 |
| US Soccer | 4v4 at U6–U8, 7v7 at U9–U10, 9v9 at U11–U12, 11v11 from U13 |
| DFB (Germany) | Funino-style 3v3 for the youngest, small-sided formats up to 7v7 through the E-Jugend |
| RFEF (Spain) | Fútbol 7 for benjamín and alevín age groups before fútbol 11 |
Youth formats often add rules such as a retreat line (the defending team drops back to a line while the goalkeeper restarts play), a build-out line, or limits on long kicks from the goalkeeper. They also use smaller balls; see our ball sizes guide for typical sizes by age.
Before kick-off: a checklist
Disputes in small-sided football almost always come from rules nobody agreed in advance. Settle these in one minute before the game starts:
- Number of players and rolling subs.
- Offside: yes or no.
- Kick-ins or throw-ins, and is the ball live off the boards?
- Keeper area and back-pass rule.
- Slide tackles allowed?
- Head-height rule?
- Length of each half and who keeps time.
- Penalties: from where, and who takes them in a tie.
7-a-side vs futsal
Futsal is a separate, official FIFA discipline with its own laws: five players, a low-bounce size 4 ball, a stopped clock and an accumulated-foul system. If your league advertises itself as futsal, read our futsal rules guide instead; if it is a weekly 5- or 7-a-side on artificial grass, the house rules above are what matter.