What is the backpass rule in football

The backpass rule in football says a goalkeeper inside his own penalty area may not touch the ball with a hand or arm when a team-mate has deliberately kicked it to him, or passed it directly to him from a throw-in, unless the keeper has clearly kicked or attempted to kick the ball to release it into play. The law also bans the deliberate tricks teams use to route the pass through the head, chest or knee so it never touches a boot, and that offence stands whether or not the keeper ever handles the ball. The punishment in every case is an indirect free kick to the opposition, taken from the spot of the offence.

How the backpass rule in football works

The offence sits in Law 12 of the IFAB laws. An indirect free kick is awarded if a goalkeeper, inside his penalty area, touches the ball with a hand or arm after it has been deliberately kicked to him by a team-mate, and after receiving it directly from a throw-in taken by a team-mate. The one escape hatch is the keeper who has clearly kicked, or attempted to kick, the ball to release it into play, because he may then handle before anyone else touches it. Trying to control a pass with the feet does not count as an attempt to release it.

The deliberate trick is treated the same way. A player who initiates a trick to pass the ball back to the keeper with the head, chest, knee and so on, including from a free kick or a goal kick, is guilty whether or not the goalkeeper touches the ball, and if the keeper started the trick the keeper is the one penalised. Because the restart is an indirect free kick, the ball must touch another player before a goal can be scored from it.

There is a real difference in punishment between the two offences. A keeper who simply handles a back pass concedes the indirect free kick with no disciplinary sanction. The player who initiates a deliberate trick is cautioned for unsporting behaviour. And a keeper who handles for a second time after a restart, stopping a promising attack or denying a goal, is sanctioned like any other player.

The free kick is taken from the place where the offence occurred. When the keeper handles inside his own goal area, the indirect free kick is taken from the goal area line parallel to the goal line at the point nearest the infringement, which is why these restarts often end up right in front of goal.

The history: from the 1990 World Cup to 1997

The rule was born out of a tournament nobody enjoyed. The 1990 World Cup was widely criticised as dull, full of defenders knocking the ball back and goalkeepers holding it in their hands to run down the clock. In 1991 the IFAB allowed FIFA to experiment with a ban at the men's under-17 World Cup, and the trial worked. From the 1992/93 season the deliberate back pass was forbidden, with an indirect free kick from the place of the offence for the opposing team.

The timing was brutal for the old habit. UEFA Euro 1992 was the last major tournament played under the old law, and the first games with the new rule were at the 1992 Summer Olympics, where Italy were caught out in the very first match and the United States scored from the resulting indirect free kick around 15 yards out. Within weeks, by 24 July 1992, FIFA had to issue circular no. 488 to close the loopholes where players flicked the ball up onto their own head, or knelt and pushed it with a knee, so the keeper could still pick it up. Those tricks became unsporting behaviour, punished with a caution and an indirect free kick even if the keeper never touched the ball. The trick clause was written into the law in 1993, and in 1997 the throw-in was added, so a keeper can no longer handle a ball thrown directly to him by a team-mate either.

The 1992 ban did more to shape modern goalkeeping than any coaching fashion. Kicking became a job requirement, distribution became a skill, and the sweeper-keeper who starts attacks with his feet is a direct descendant of a rule made to stop time-wasting. Thirty years on, the game is still chasing the same behaviour with the same tools.

Edge cases and common confusions

A header or chest from a team-mate is legal, provided it is not a deliberate trick. That is the line referees actually police: a defender heading the ball back under pressure is fine, a defender who flicks it up for a controlled chest pass is not.

An inaccurate back pass still counts. The law bites on the deliberate kick itself, so even a heavy pass the keeper has to scramble for cannot be picked up if it was deliberately kicked by a team-mate. What matters is the intention behind the pass, not its quality.

The keeper who mishandles control of a back pass gets no mercy. If the ball rebounds off his foot or leg, or he slips and then handles, and he has never clearly kicked or attempted to kick the ball out, it is still an indirect free kick. On the other side of the coin, a deflection off a team-mate is not a back pass at all, because the offence only covers a deliberate play.

Related rules: the 2026/27 push against time-wasting

The back pass is the oldest tool in the anti-time-wasting kit, and the 2026/27 rule changes keep arriving in the same spirit. Goalkeepers who hold the ball for more than eight seconds now concede a corner, a change approved at the IFAB's 139th annual general meeting in March 2025 that replaced the old indirect free kick for holding it past six seconds. For 2026/27 there are five-second countdowns on goal kicks and throw-ins, so the clock now runs at almost every moment a keeper touches the ball. Attackers making unnecessary contact with a goalkeeper without a genuine attempt to play the ball are being penalised more strictly this season. The handball law applies to a keeper the moment he steps outside his own penalty area, where he has no more right to use his hands than anyone else. The build-up play that pulls defenders and keepers into these situations is covered in our guide to building from the back.

Key takeaways

• A goalkeeper cannot handle a deliberate kick from a team-mate, a direct throw-in from a team-mate, or a deliberate trick played with the head, chest or knee.
• The restart is an indirect free kick taken where the offence occurred, or on the goal area line nearest the infringement if the keeper handled inside his own goal area.
• Headers and chests from team-mates are legal unless they are deliberate tricks to get around the law.
• The deliberate trick is punished even if the goalkeeper never touches the ball, and the initiator is cautioned.
• The deliberate back pass was banned for the 1992/93 season, the throw-in extension arrived in 1997, and the 2026/27 countdowns run on the same anti-time-wasting logic.

FAQ

Can a goalkeeper pick up a back pass?

No, not if a team-mate deliberately kicked the ball to him, threw it directly to him, or used a deliberate trick such as a flick or a controlled header or chest. Handling in those situations is an indirect free kick to the opposition.

Can a goalkeeper catch a header or chest pass from a team-mate?

Yes, if it is a genuine header or chest rather than a deliberate trick designed to get the ball to his hands. The referee judges intent, and a player who initiates a trick is cautioned even if the keeper never touches the ball.

Where is the indirect free kick for a back pass taken?

From the place where the offence occurred. If the keeper handled inside his own goal area, it is taken from the goal area line parallel to the goal line at the nearest point to the infringement.

When was the backpass rule introduced?

The deliberate back pass was banned for the 1992/93 season after a successful trial at the 1991 under-17 World Cup, and the throw-in to the goalkeeper was added in 1997. Between them they are the reason the backpass rule in football now covers kicks, throw-ins and deliberate tricks.