A football team has 11 players on the pitch at any one time, and one of them must be the goalkeeper. That is the answer under Law 3 of the Laws of the Game, as set out by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) for the 2026-27 season. The rest of this guide covers substitutes, the minimum number of players, what happens after a red card and how squad numbers work.
How many players on a football team? The quick facts
- On the pitch: a maximum of 11 per team, including one goalkeeper.
- Minimum to play: a match cannot start or continue if either team has fewer than seven players.
- Substitutes used: up to five in official competitions, as decided by FIFA, the confederation or the national association.
- Named substitutes: the competition rules set the number, from three to fifteen.
- Senior international matches: up to fifteen named and eight used.
Football how many players: the 11-a-side rule explained
When people ask how many players are in football, they usually mean the number that start a match. Law 3 says a match is played by two teams, each with a maximum of eleven players, and that one of them must be the goalkeeper. Those 11 are what you see on the team sheet before kick-off.
The goalkeeper is the only player allowed to handle the ball inside their own penalty area, which is why the rule is built into the law instead of left to the manager. If a team has no goalkeeper, an outfield player has to take the position and wear a different colour from the others.
The other ten players are outfield players, and how they are arranged is a question of tactics, not law. A back four, a back three and a front three are all different ways of using the same ten. You can see how those shapes work in our guides to football formations, the 4-3-3 formation and back-three systems, and in our explainer on football positions and roles.
What is the minimum number of players in a football match?
The Laws of the Game say a match may not start or continue if either team has fewer than seven players. That is the real lower limit, and it matters most after red cards.
The wording has a practical wrinkle. If a team drops below seven because its players deliberately leave the pitch, the referee does not have to stop play right away and may play advantage. Once the ball goes out of play, however, play cannot restart if that team is still short.
In practice this almost never happens in professional football. A team would need five sending-offs or injuries after using all its substitutes to get close. At grassroots level, where matches sometimes begin with players missing, the rule is more relevant.
How many substitutes can a football team use?
This is where the answer is less simple, because it depends on the competition. Under the 2026-27 Laws:
- In official competitions, the competition rules decide how many substitutes are named, from three to fifteen. Up to five may be used, as determined by FIFA, the confederation or the national association.
- In senior international matches, each team can name up to fifteen substitutes and use eight. Up to eleven may be used if both teams agree and the referee is told before kick-off.
- In other matches, including friendlies, teams may agree a higher maximum as long as the referee is informed. Without that agreement or notice, each team is limited to six substitutes.
So the squad a team takes to the stadium is not set by one global number. A manager in a top-division league may name up to the competition’s limit, but only five of those players can come on.
How many substitution opportunities are there?
In top-division men’s and women’s matches, and in senior international matches where five substitutes are permitted, each team has three substitution opportunities, plus the half-time interval. That is why you often see several changes made at once during a game.
When a team makes more than one change at the same stoppage, they count together as a single opportunity. In extra time, unused substitutes and opportunities carry over, and the competition rules may allow one extra substitute and a further opportunity.
Return substitutions, where a player who has gone off comes back on, are allowed only in youth, veterans, disability and grassroots football, with the approval of the national association.
What happens if a player is sent off?
The rules depend on timing. If a player is sent off before the team list is submitted, they cannot be named in any capacity. If it happens after the player is named but before kick-off, a named substitute can replace them, and the team keeps its full number of substitutions.
After kick-off, a sent-off player cannot be replaced, so the team plays a player short. A named substitute who is sent off, before or after kick-off, also cannot be replaced.
That is why a red card is one of the most costly events in football. For the full rules on cards, see our guides to yellow and red cards and the Laws of the Game.
Squad sizes in professional football
The number of players on a team sheet is different from the size of a club’s squad. A club’s squad is the group registered to play in a competition, which can be much larger than the 11 on the pitch and the substitutes on the bench. The registration rules are set by each league and competition, not by the Laws of the Game, and they change over time, so it is worth checking the current competition rules before relying on a specific figure.
The same applies to international football. When a national team announces a squad, that is the group selected for a camp, not the match-day team. For an example, see our piece on the most capped England players, where the squad for each camp is a separate question from who plays.
Smaller formats and youth football
Eleven-a-side is the standard for adult football, but youth football often uses smaller-sided formats to help younger players get more touches. Those formats are set by national associations and age groups, and the Laws of the Game allow modifications for youth, veterans, disability and grassroots football. If you coach or play at that level, check with your local association for the exact numbers.
Frequently asked questions about football team sizes
How many players are on a football team on the pitch?
Each team can have a maximum of 11 players on the pitch at once, and one of them must be the goalkeeper, according to Law 3 of the IFAB Laws of the Game.
What is the minimum number of players a football team needs?
A match cannot start or continue if either team has fewer than seven players, according to the Laws of the Game.
How many substitutes can a football team use?
In official competitions, up to five substitutes may be used, with the number of named substitutes set by the competition rules between three and fifteen. In other matches without an agreement, each team is limited to six.
Can a sent-off player be replaced?
Not after kick-off. A player sent off after the match has started cannot be replaced, so the team plays on a player short.
How many players are in a football squad?
It depends on the competition. The Laws allow a competition to name between three and fifteen substitutes, and senior international matches allow up to fifteen named substitutes with eight used.
Related reading
Keep learning with our Football Explained guides and our Tactics & Analysis section.
Sources: IFAB Laws of the Game 2026-27, Law 3 (The Players), as published by The Football Association (accessed 13 November 2026).
