{
  "id": "law-03-players",
  "type": "entity",
  "name": "Law 3 - The Players",
  "summary": "Law 3 of the IFAB Laws of the Game (2026/27 edition) fixes team sizes, the minimum number of players for a match to start or continue, and the substitution rules for official competitions, including the five-substitute allowance and return substitutes in grassroots football.",
  "locale": "en",
  "tags": [
    "laws-of-the-game",
    "ifab",
    "players",
    "substitutions"
  ],
  "relations": [
    {
      "rel": "cross_references",
      "target": "law-04-players-equipment"
    }
  ],
  "questions": [
    "How many substitutions are allowed in football?",
    "What is the minimum number of players for a match?",
    "Can a substituted player come back on?"
  ],
  "claims": [
    {
      "id": "c1",
      "text": "A match is played by two teams, each with a maximum of eleven players, one of whom must be the goalkeeper. A match may not start or continue if either team has fewer than seven players.",
      "sources": [
        "ifab-law-03-2026-27"
      ],
      "confidence": 0.97
    },
    {
      "id": "c2",
      "text": "In official competitions organised under FIFA, the confederations or the national football associations, top-level competitions may permit the use of up to five substitutes, with each team having a maximum of three substitution opportunities during the match plus an additional opportunity at half-time.",
      "sources": [
        "ifab-law-03-2026-27"
      ],
      "confidence": 0.94
    },
    {
      "id": "c3",
      "text": "Where competition rules allow extra time, unused substitutes and substitution opportunities carry over, and an additional substitution opportunity may be permitted in extra time.",
      "sources": [
        "ifab-law-03-2026-27"
      ],
      "confidence": 0.93
    },
    {
      "id": "c4",
      "text": "A player being substituted must leave the field by the nearest point on the boundary line unless the referee indicates otherwise, and the substitute enters at the halfway line, during a stoppage in play, after the player being replaced has left.",
      "sources": [
        "ifab-law-03-2026-27"
      ],
      "confidence": 0.94
    },
    {
      "id": "c5",
      "text": "Return substitutions are only permitted in youth, veterans, disability and grassroots football, subject to the agreement of the national football association, confederation or FIFA.",
      "sources": [
        "ifab-law-03-2026-27"
      ],
      "confidence": 0.95
    },
    {
      "id": "c6",
      "text": "New in 2026/27: a player being substituted must be off the field of play within ten seconds of the substitution board being shown; otherwise the replacement may not enter until the first stoppage after one minute has elapsed.",
      "sources": [
        "ifab-law-changes-2026-27",
        "ifab-law-03-2026-27"
      ],
      "confidence": 0.92
    },
    {
      "id": "c7",
      "text": "New in 2026/27: senior 'A' international friendly matches allow a maximum of eight substitutes, or up to eleven if both teams agree, within three substitution opportunities per team.",
      "sources": [
        "ifab-law-changes-2026-27"
      ],
      "confidence": 0.92
    },
    {
      "id": "c8",
      "text": "This object reflects the 2026/27 edition of the Laws of the Game, the current edition published by The IFAB at the verification date.",
      "sources": [
        "ifab-laws-2026-27",
        "ifab-law-03-2026-27"
      ],
      "confidence": 0.98
    }
  ],
  "takeaways": [],
  "faqs": [],
  "evidence_tier": "primary",
  "evidence": {
    "level": "industry_observation",
    "source_types": [
      "industry_observation"
    ]
  },
  "moat_flag": true,
  "winning_edge": "Substitution allowances changed from three to five in 2022 and are a persistent source of stale answers; claims here are bound to the 2026/27 IFAB text of Law 3 with the edition pinned.",
  "confidence": 0.94,
  "last_verified": "2026-08-08",
  "canonical_url": "https://futbolatlas.app/k/law-03-players",
  "api_url": "https://futbolatlas.app/api/k/law-03-players.json",
  "jsonld": {
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "name": "Law 3 - The Players",
    "description": "Law 3 of the IFAB Laws of the Game (2026/27 edition) fixes team sizes, the minimum number of players for a match to start or continue, and the substitution rules for official competitions, including the five-substitute allowance and return substitutes in grassroots football.",
    "url": "https://futbolatlas.app/k/law-03-players",
    "license": "https://spdx.org/licenses/CC-BY-4.0.html",
    "dateModified": "2026-08-08",
    "citation": [
      {
        "@type": "CreativeWork",
        "name": "IFAB Laws of the Game — editions index (current edition 2026/27)",
        "url": "https://www.theifab.com/laws-of-the-game-documents/"
      },
      {
        "@type": "CreativeWork",
        "name": "Law 3 — The Players (Laws of the Game 2026/27)",
        "url": "https://www.theifab.com/laws/latest/the-players/"
      },
      {
        "@type": "CreativeWork",
        "name": "Law changes 2026/27 — changes and clarifications (IFAB)",
        "url": "https://www.theifab.com/law-changes/latest/"
      }
    ],
    "@type": "Article",
    "headline": "Law 3 - The Players"
  }
}