Impeding an Opponent (Obstruction)

Impeding an opponent splits by contact. Without contact it is an indirect free kick, and only where a player moves into the opponent's path while the ball is outside the playing distance of both of them. With contact it is a direct free kick, and a penalty inside the area.^2, ^4, ^5, ^6, ⁷

Key points

✓The Laws' word is impeding, not obstruction: "obstruction" appears nowhere in the 2026/27 edition^5, ^6, ⁷
✓Impeding with contact is a direct free kick, and a penalty inside the offender's area^2, ⁴
✓Impeding without any contact is an indirect free kick^5, ⁶
✓It means moving into the opponent's path to obstruct, block, slow down or force a change of direction⁷
✓And only where the ball is not within playing distance of either player, not just of the one being blocked⁷
✓Every player has a right to their position: being in the way of an opponent is not the same as moving into the way of one⁸
✓Shielding is permitted where the ball is within playing distance and the opponent is not held off with the arms or body^2, ^3, ⁹
✓Free kicks reach only offences committed while the ball is in play, so blocking someone after the ball has gone out is misconduct rather than impeding¹

Read the full rule

Scenarios

Scenario 1

Player blocks an opponent after the ball has gone out

No foul

A player lets the ball roll out for a goal kick, then stands in the opponent's way to stop them retrieving it quickly.

Correct call: No free kick. The ball was out of play, and Law 12 free kicks reach only offences committed while the ball is in play, so there is no impeding offence to punish. The restart is the goal kick, and a player who then delays it can be cautioned.

Common mistake: Awarding an indirect free kick for impeding. Two things rule it out at once: the ball is out of play, and standing in the way is not moving into the way.

Law^1, ^8, ¹⁰

Scenario 2

Defender shields the ball out for a corner

No foul

A defender reaches the ball first near the corner flag and uses their body to hold off the attacker, keeping the ball in play and within a stride of their feet.

Correct call: No offence. The ball is within playing distance, so this is the permitted shield, and the attacker's remedy is to charge fairly for it.

Common mistake: Awarding a foul because the attacker cannot get past. But watch the second condition: the permission ends if the opponent is held off with the arms or body, which becomes holding.

Law^2, ^3, ⁹

Scenario 3

Player steps across a runner with the ball far away

Foul

Chasing a long ball that neither player can reach, a defender steps sideways into the attacker's running line and slows them down. There is no contact.

Correct call: Indirect free kick. The defender moved into the opponent's path to slow them down and the ball was outside the playing distance of both, which is the definition in full.

Common mistake: Waving it on because nobody was touched. Contact is what makes it a direct free kick instead, not what makes it an offence.

Law^5, ^6, ^7, ⁸

The full rule

The Laws do not use the word obstruction. The offence is impeding the progress of an opponent, and Law 12 splits it in two by whether there is contact, which is the single most useful thing to know about it. Impeding an opponent **with** contact is in the list of direct free kick offences that are offences however they are committed, alongside holding and handball, so it does not need to be careless or reckless to be punished and inside the offender's penalty area it is a penalty kick. Impeding **without** any contact is an indirect free kick. The definition is narrow and every word of it does work: impeding means moving into the opponent's path to obstruct, block, slow down or force a change of direction when the ball is not within playing distance of either player. So it needs movement into the path, and it needs the ball to be out of reach of both of them, not just of the player being blocked. The clause that decides most real cases is the one stating the default: all players have a right to their position on the field of play, and being in the way of an opponent is not the same as moving into the way of an opponent. A player who simply stands still and happens to be in the way has committed nothing. Shielding is the same rule read from the other side, and it carries two conditions rather than one. A player may shield the ball by taking a position between an opponent and the ball if the ball is within playing distance and the opponent is not held off with the arms or body. Using the arms or body to hold the opponent off takes it outside the permission, and holding an opponent is a direct free kick offence in its own right. Law 12 free kicks reach only offences committed while the ball is in play, so blocking an opponent after the ball has gone out is not an impeding offence at all; if it delays the restart it is dealt with as misconduct.^1, ^2, ^3, ^4, ^5, ^6, ^7, ^8, ^9, ¹⁰