Law 8: The Start and Restart of Play2. Dropped ball·Page 98, 2026/27 edition

2. Dropped ball

The provision as it is printed, and everything on Ruleside that turns on it.

If, when play was stopped:
· the ball was inside the penalty area, the referee drops it for the defending team goalkeeper in their penalty area
IFAB Laws of the Game 2026/27, page 98 · clause law-8-ebbf0a84

Verdicts that turn on it 3

Walk the tree to any of these and this clause is part of the answer.

Explained in the rules library 1

The plain-language pages that build on this provision.

Drop Ball

Applied in these incidents 1

Real decisions where this clause decided what should have happened.

VAR correctly fixed a mistaken identity card, but got the restart wrongUSA vs Paraguay

Changed for 2026/27 1

What this provision replaced, and when it took effect.

Dropped Ball: Who Gets It, and Where

Questions that ask it 2

Points in a walk where the reader is deciding this provision.

The Laws of the Game are published by The IFAB and quoted here for the purpose of explaining the decisions on this site. Ruleside is not affiliated with The IFAB or FIFA. Every clause of The Start and Restart of Play that Ruleside cites.