Rules

    Soccer is played on a field that must be between 90-120 meters long and 45-90 meters wide. Each team is allowed to have 1 goaltender and 10 outfielders, and are allowed either 5, 7, or 9 substitute players on the bench depending on the league or tournament. For professional soccer, each team is allowed to make only 3 substitutions per game. The object of the game is to score more goals then your opponent by kicking the ball into their net. The games consist of two 45 minute, running time halves, with the referee adding the appropriate stoppage time at the end of each half. Depending on whether the game is a friendly, league, playoff, or tournament game, a tie at the end of regulation can end in either a tie or go into extra time and/or a shootout. In extra time, there is two 15 minute halves, and if the game is still tied after this, it goes to a shootout.

    A player is allowed to use any part of his body to move the ball except for his/her hands and arm up to the shoulder. When the ball goes out of play along the sides, the team who touched the ball last loses possession and their opponents get to have a throw-in to put the ball back into play. When the ball goes out of play at the ends of the field, there is either a goal kick (offensive team touched the ball last) or a corner kick (defensive team touched the ball last). Foul tackles and other infractions are dealt with using cards. For a foul with no violence, the opposing team may be rewarded a free kick at the spot of the foul, with no other punishment to the player who committed the foul. For a more severe foul, a free kick is rewarded, and the guilty player may receive a yellow card. If a player receives two yellow cards in one game, they will be given a red and can not finish the game. And for the worst fouls, players receive a straight red card. If a player gets a red card, they are ejected from the field and there team must play with a man short for the remainder of the game. A foul committed in the box leads to a penalty shot being awarded. For more detail about the rules, and also the entire list of rules, view the official rule book at the FIFA website.