What is Futsal? Futsal Rules

This will create a wall that the offense will have trouble penetrating through. The remaining two players should play in the midfield and are known as the wingers. It attracted some interest in South American media, which regularly began to follow futsal.

In each group, teams played against each other in a single round-robin format hosted by one of the participating teams. For the 2023–24 UEFA Futsal Champions League, the clubs’ entry round was determined by their UEFA futsal club coefficients, which took into account their performance from the previous three seasons. The National Sports Center is hosting Futsal Freeze this January for 8U to 19U athletes. The tournament will follow a 3v3 format rather than futsal’s standard 5v5, encouraging even more ball touches per player. Futsal is an exciting, fast-paced small sided soccer game that is played across the world and is officially recognized by both FIFA and UEFA. Bryan is an entrepreneur and the founder of The Soccer Handbook.

Think Fast: The dynamic sport of futsal

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You may not hit, kick, push, trip, hold, or charge at an opponent, or the other team will be awarded a direct free kick. Expect to pass the ball at least 5 times before taking a shot. The smaller field means the defense can easily organize to block your shots. The offensive team usually needs to pass the ball about 5 times to break down the defense’s organization. The more you pass the ball, the more chances you’ll have of scoring a goal. In soccer, you throw the ball back into play, but in futsal, the ball is kicked in.

What are the rules to futsal?

This referee is assisted by a second referee who typically watches over the goal lines or assists the primary referee with calls on fouls or plays. The decisions made by the referees are final and can only be changed if the referees think it is necessary and play has not restarted. There is also a third referee and a timekeeper who are provided with equipment to keep a record of fouls in the match.

A regulation soccer ball is a size 5, which is about 27–28 inches (69–71 cm) in circumference. Futsal is played with a size 4 ball, which has a 25–26 inches (64–66 cm) circumference.The smaller ball is a little heavier and has less bounce, making it a better option for playing indoors. A direct free kick can be awarded to the opposing team if a player succeeds or attempts to kick or trip an opponent, jumps, charges or pushes an opponent, or strikes or attempts to strike an opponent. Although the game quickly gained popularity the rules of Futsal were not uniform and it wasn’t until 1956 that Luiz de Oliveira of São Paulo wrote the Book of Rules of Futsal. The rules were then adopted on an international level. Today the official rules of Futsal are governed by FIFA.

As such, players must truly support their teammates. It harkens back to streetball where soccer players used their quickness and skills in small spaces. There are many benefits of playing Futsal that help soccer development. At the beginning of the match, a coin toss is used to decide who will start the match. A kick-off is used to signal the start of play and is used at the start of the second half and any periods of extra time. It is also used after a goal has been scored, with the other team starting the play.

The penalty mark is six metres from the goal line when it reaches the middle of the goalposts. The second penalty mark is 10 metres from the goal line when it reaches the middle of the goalposts. A penalty kick from the penalty spot is awarded if a player commits a foul inside the penalty area. It is played with five players per team, on a hard surface and the duration of the game is only 40 minutes.