In this episode of Soccer Explained, we walk through the basics of the rules you need to know to enjoy a game. This is part one of a two-parter. Next time we’ll get into the punishments for breaking these rules, plus the referees who enforce them. Listen to the whole episode for the laughs and stories, including one of the greatest goals in soccer history, and another that might be the most controversial, both by Argentinian legend Diego Maradona in a single World Cup match.
Handballs
The basic rule is simple. Outfield players can’t touch the ball with their hands or arms below the armpit. Goalkeepers can use their hands, but only inside their own penalty area.
Of course, every soccer rule has exceptions. If a player’s arm is in a “natural position” and the ball happens to hit it, the ref will usually let it go. If the arm is in an “unnatural position,” it’s a handball even if the contact wasn’t on purpose. Refs use the natural versus unnatural position idea as a stand-in for intent, since they can’t read minds.
Two more wrinkles to know. First, if a player scores a goal immediately after the ball touched their arm, it’s a handball regardless of intent. Second, even goalkeepers inside the penalty area have limits. If a teammate deliberately passes the ball to the keeper, the keeper can’t pick it up. Once the keeper has handled the ball and let it go, they can’t pick it up again until another player touches it.
The Offside Rule
First, a public service announcement from us. It’s offside, not offsides. No “S.”
Here’s the setup. You’re in an offside position when four things are true at the same time. Your team has the ball, you’re on the opponent’s half of the field, you’re ahead of the ball, and you’re behind the second to last opponent. Why second to last? The rule is really trying to make sure you’re not just hanging out behind the last defender with only the keeper between you and the goal. But as long as any two opposing players are between you and the goal, you’re not offside.
Being in an offside position is not, by itself, illegal. The violation happens when a player in an offside position gets involved in the play. That means touching the ball, interfering with a defender, grabbing a rebound, or otherwise gaining an advantage for your team as they try to score.
The most common scenario when these violations occur is a teammate passing the ball to a player who is in an offside position. In this case, the key question is where the receiver was at the moment the pass was kicked, not where they first touched the ball.
Two more things worth remembering. Offside doesn’t apply on throw-ins, corner kicks, or goal kicks. And the rule isn’t there to punish fast players. If you’re level with the second-to-last defender when the pass is made and you simply outrun them to the ball, that’s great soccer, not a violation.
Challenges and Fouls: Going for the Ball, Not the Person
A challenge is when one player goes after another to win the ball, block a pass, or force them to change direction. A fair challenge is aimed at the ball and doesn’t involve careless or reckless contact with the other player. An unfair one involves things like tripping, kicking, pushing, grabbing, or going in with excessive force, even if the contact wasn’t fully intended.
Diving: Soccer’s Most Controversial Habit
Diving, officially called simulation, is when a player tries to trick the ref into thinking they were fouled when they weren’t, or they exaggerate the severity of a foul. It’s against the rules. It also happens constantly, and there’s a never-ending argument in the soccer world about whether it’s a betrayal of the spirit of the game or just smart strategy.
Time Wasting
You can’t deliberately drag your feet to restart play. Strolling to the ball for a throw-in or a corner, kicking the ball far away after the ref blows the whistle, keepers holding the ball for too long—these are all against the rules. Fouls for wasting time exist to stop a team who is ahead from doing things solely to run down the clock. There’s no taking a knee in soccer.
If you’re winning and you want to kill time during open play, you can pass the ball around or dribble into the corner, and the ref will usually treat that as acceptable game management. It’s the other team’s job to come take it from you and make something happen.
Substitutions: It’s Complicated, So Here’s the World Cup Version
Substitution rules vary a lot from competition to competition, but they all share the same shape. You have a starting XI, a bench full of players, and a limited number of subs you’re allowed to put in during certain moments in the match.
Here’s how it works at the World Cup. You get twelve players on the bench, but only five of them can enter the match. There are four opportunities to put those five subs in: halftime, plus three “substitution windows” during play. The team chooses when those windows will be, but they have to happen during a stoppage in play like a throw-in, corner kick, or injury.
If the match goes to extra time, you get one more substitution and one more window, and any unused subs or windows from regulation carry over.
Technical Area Rules
The technical area is the marked zone where the substitutes, coaches, and other staff hang out during the match. Only one person at a time is allowed to stand and give instructions. Whoever is giving instructions can’t be disruptive, and players and staff are supposed to stay in the area except for specific moments like injuries or substitutions.
Dissent: Don’t Argue With the Ref
Dissent is the official soccer term for arguing with the referee, and the rule is basically: don’t. You can’t verbally argue a call, you can’t make clearly dissenting gestures, and you can’t crowd the ref with multiple players. Many competitions now have a rule that only the team captain is allowed to approach the referee.
Excessive Celebration
Goal celebrations are a huge part of soccer culture. Players choreograph them, write messages on undershirts, and put real creativity into the moment. But they can go too far. If a celebration drags on, threatens security, lacks decorum, involves taking off your shirt, gets lewd or offensive, provokes opposing fans, or sends a player into the crowd, it can be flagged as unsporting conduct.
Offensive Speech and Racism
Racist, homophobic, and other offensive speech is against the rules. Racism can even be disciplined when it comes from the crowd. This is in response to a long-standing problem in soccer fan culture. Refs now follow a three-step process. First, they stop play and a warning is given over the loudspeaker. If the racism continues, they suspend the match for several minutes and warn that the next step is calling the game off entirely. If it still continues, they end the match.
That’s Part One
That’s the basic rules tour. Next episode we’ll get into what happens when these rules are broken: yellow cards, red cards, free kicks, penalties, and the referees who hand them all out. Listen to the full episode for the rules in our own words plus the stories, jokes, and tangents that are honestly the best part of the show.
Follow Soccer Explained!
Follow the show to hear one American fan who owns a soccer team, and one who works for her, explain the essentials of soccer in short, digestible episodes. We also tell stories and share our passion for the game so you can join the excitement around America’s fastest-growing sport.
Credits and Contact
Cohosts: Treencee Russell and Sy Hoekstra
Production and editing: Sy Hoekstra
Podcast logo: Riley Quarders
Theme music: Andre Louis
Website: soccerexplainedpod.com
Get in contact: soccerexplainedpod@gmail.com
Hand of God goal clip originally broadcast by the BBC. Retrieved from YouTube
Argentine radio commentary for the “goal of the century” by Víctor Hugo Morales. Retrieved from YouTube
Soccer Explained website created using Podpage
This podcast is powered by Pinecast.
