Law 2 - The Ball

Qualities and measurements

The ball is:

spherical
made of leather or other suitable material
of a circumference of not more than 70 cm (28 ins) and not less than 68 cm (27 ins)
not more than 450 g (16 oz) and not less than 410 g (14 oz) in weight at the start of the match
of a pressure equal to 0.6 - 1.1 atmosphere (600 - 1,100 g/cm2) at sea level (8.5 lbs/sq in - 15.6 lbs/sq in)

Replacement of a defective ball

If the ball bursts or becomes defective during the course of a match:

the match is stopped
the match is restarted by dropping the replacement ball at the place where the original ball became defective, unless play was stopped inside the goal area, in which case the referee drops the replacement ball on the goal area line parallel to the goal line at the point nearest to where the original ball was located when play was stopped

If the ball bursts or becomes defective during a penalty kick or during kicks from the penalty mark as it moves forward and before it touches any player or the crossbar or goalposts:

the penalty kick is retaken

If the ball bursts or becomes defective whilst not in play at a kick-off, goal kick, corner kick, free kick, penalty kick or throw-in:

the match is restarted accordingly

The ball may not be changed during the match without the authority of the referee.

Decisions of the International F.A. Board

Decision 1

In addition to the requirements of Law 2, acceptance of a ball for use in matches played in an official competition organised under the auspices of FIFA or the confederations is conditional upon the ball bearing one of the following marks:

FIFA Quality PRO
FIFA Quality
IMS - INTERNATIONAL MATCHBALL STANDARD

Balls carrying previous quality marks such as FIFA Approved, FIFA Inspected or International Match Standard may be used in aforementioned competitions until July 2017.

Such a logo on a ball indicates that it has been tested officially and found to be in compliance with specific technical requirements, different for each logo and additional to the minimum specifications stipulated in Law 2. The list of the additional requirements specific to each of the respective logos must be approved by the International F.A. Board. The institutes conducting the tests are subject to the approval of FIFA.

Member association competitions may also require the use of balls bearing any one of these three logos.

Decision 2

In matches played in an official competition organised under the auspices of FIFA, the confederations or the member associations, no form of commercial advertising on the ball is permitted, except for the emblem of the competition, the competition organiser and the authorised trademark of the manufacturer. The competition regulations may restrict the size and number of such markings.

Decision 3

Where goal-line technology (GLT) is used, balls with integrated technology are allowed, but they must either be FIFA APPROVED, FIFA INSPECTED or INTERNATIONAL MATCHBALL STANDARD (see Decision 1).