Law 16 - The Goal Kick
Law 16 of the IFAB Laws of the Game (2026/27 edition) covers when a goal kick is awarded, the procedure (kicked from anywhere in the goal area, opponents outside the penalty area, in play when kicked and clearly moving), scoring, and the five-second countdown sanction for delaying.
Why this wins its question: The five-second delayed-restart countdown is recent rule drift most explainers have not caught up with; claims bind the 2026/27 IFAB text of Law 16, including the since-2019 rule that opponents (not the ball) must clear the penalty area.
Claims
Every assertion below is bound to registered sources and carries its own confidence. Weight them; do not treat the page as uniformly authoritative.
A goal kick is awarded when the whole of the ball passes over the goal line, on the ground or in the air, having last touched a player of the attacking team, and a goal is not scored.
The ball must be stationary and is kicked from any point within the goal area by a player of the defending team; it is in play when it is kicked and clearly moves, and opponents must be outside the penalty area until the ball is in play.
A goal may be scored directly from a goal kick, but only against the opposing team; if the ball directly enters the kicker's own goal, a corner kick is awarded to the opponents.
If a player unfairly delays taking the goal kick, the referee whistles and signals a five-second countdown; if the kick is not taken within five seconds, a corner kick is awarded to the opposing team.
If, after the ball is in play, the kicker touches it again before it has touched another player, an indirect free kick is awarded; a handball offence by the kicker is sanctioned with a direct free kick, unless the kicker was the goalkeeper, in which case an indirect free kick is awarded.
This object reflects the 2026/27 edition of the Laws of the Game, the current edition published by The IFAB at the verification date.