Law 4 - The Players' Equipment
Law 4 of the IFAB Laws of the Game (2026/27 edition) lists the compulsory equipment (sleeved shirt, shorts, socks, shinguards, footwear), bans all jewellery, regulates undershirt and undershorts colours and electronic tracking systems, and sets the sanctions for infringements.
Why this wins its question: The jewellery ban, undergarment colour rules and the accidental-loss exception are precise contractual details usually paraphrased loosely; claims bind the 2026/27 IFAB text of Law 4.
Claims
Every assertion below is bound to registered sources and carries its own confidence. Weight them; do not treat the page as uniformly authoritative.
The compulsory equipment of a player comprises a sleeved shirt, shorts, socks, shinguards and footwear.
All items of jewellery (necklaces, rings, bracelets, earrings, leather or rubber bands, etc.) are forbidden and must be removed; using tape to cover jewellery is not permitted. A player who refuses to comply or wears an item again must be cautioned.
Undershirts must be a single colour matching the main colour of the shirt sleeve or a pattern replicating it; undershorts must match the main colour of the shorts or the lowest part of the shorts, and players of the same team must wear the same colour.
A player whose footwear or shinguard is lost accidentally must replace it as soon as possible and no later than when the ball next goes out of play; if before doing so the player plays the ball or scores, the goal is awarded.
Where electronic performance and tracking systems (EPTS) are worn in official competitions, the competition organiser must ensure the equipment is not dangerous and meets the applicable FIFA Quality Programme standard.
A player with unauthorised equipment is instructed to leave the field to correct it; re-entering without the required permission is sanctioned with a caution.
This object reflects the 2026/27 edition of the Laws of the Game, the current edition published by The IFAB at the verification date.