Size, pressure and condition of the match ball, and the restart when a ball becomes defective in play.
A match ball is spherical, made of suitable material, 68–70 cm in circumference, 410–450 g in weight at the start of the match, and inflated to 0.6–1.1 atmospheres (600–1,100 g/cm²) at sea level.
Competitions may require balls to carry a quality mark, and may specify how many replacement balls are available and where they are kept.
If the ball becomes defective while play is running, the referee stops play and restarts with a dropped ball at the point where it became defective — with the usual exception that a stoppage inside the penalty area produces a dropped ball for the defending goalkeeper.
If it becomes defective while out of play — at a kick-off, goal kick, corner, throw-in, free kick or penalty kick — the restart is simply taken again with a sound ball. A ball that bursts as a penalty kick is struck, before it touches anyone or the frame, means the kick is retaken.
Only the referee may change the ball during a match.
Written against the published IFAB Laws of the Game. For the official text, see IFAB's own Laws documents.
3 questions on The Ball, each with the correct answer and an explanation of the reasoning. These are drawn from the free question bank.
What is the permitted circumference of a size 5 match ball?
The ball bursts in open play in the middle of the field while neither team is in clear possession. How is play restarted?
Besides the manufacturer's trademark, what is the only other marking Law 2 permits on the match ball in an official competition?
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