Five substitutions in the Premier League: how many subs and when they can be used

Premier League teams can make five substitutions per match from a bench of nine, but only at three stoppages in play plus half-time. A double change in one stoppage costs one window, a triple change in another costs the same, half-time is free, and from 2026/27 the player coming off has 10 seconds to get off the pitch or the replacement waits a full minute to come on.

Five substitutions in the Premier League: the three windows

The five-substitute rule is now permanent. Law 3 of the Laws of the Game allows competitions to set the number of substitutes up to a maximum of five, and in top-division football where the rule permits five, each team gets a maximum of three substitution opportunities and may additionally make changes at half-time. The Premier League uses the full allowance: nine substitutes named on the team sheet, five used in the match.

The window system is where people slip up. Three opportunities does not mean three single changes:

• Multiple substitutions in the same stoppage count as one used opportunity, so a triple change costs the same as a single one.
• If both teams make a substitution at the same stoppage, it counts as a used opportunity for both.
• Half-time is separate and free; changes at the interval do not touch the three windows.

The practical maths: five changes have to fit into three stoppages plus the break. A manager who wants all five usually goes double, double, single, or uses half-time to bank one of the changes. A substitute can only enter during a stoppage in play, at the halfway line, after the player being replaced has left the pitch and the referee has signalled. For Fantasy managers the timing is worth knowing too, because a sub who plays 60+ minutes scores different appearance points to one who gets a late cameo.

How the rule got to five

The five-sub rule began as an emergency measure. IFAB made a temporary amendment to Law 3 in May 2020, proposed by FIFA, so competitions restarting after the pandemic suspension could protect players facing a condensed calendar. The Premier League used five subs from a nine-man bench at the June 2020 restart, then reverted to three for 2020/21 while other major European leagues kept five. The bench stayed at nine from December 2020 even with only three subs allowed.

The reversal did not last. At a shareholder meeting in March 2022, clubs voted to bring five substitutions in permanently, and from 2022/23 the Premier League has used five from nine. The rule is now written into the Laws themselves for top-division football, not borrowed from a temporary circular.

The stated reason was player welfare. PFA chief executive Maheta Molango said the most common issue players raise is the impact of fixture congestion, and the change was adopted to help them. That was the official line, and it was genuinely that. It was also a tactical change dressed in medical clothing. Ex-Burnley manager Sean Dyche made the case against it at the time: a clutch of clubs can change five players at any given time and not look much weaker, which hands more leeway to the deepest squads. The managers who pushed hardest, Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola, both led clubs with benches better than most starting elevens. Five subs was the rule the big clubs wanted and the small clubs feared, and both were right.

Season	Subs allowed	Bench
2019/20 (June restart)	5	9
2020/21 to 2021/22	3	7, then 9 from Dec 2020
2022/23 onwards	5	9

Windows, extra time and the VAR pause

The three windows are per team, and using one does not earn another. The only ways to bank more opportunities are half-time and, in cup matches that go to extra time, the extra-time provisions in Law 3: unused substitutes and unused opportunities carry into extra time, and where the competition allows one additional substitute in extra time, each team gets one extra opportunity. Changes made between full-time and the start of extra time, and at half-time of extra time, do not count as used opportunities at all.

VAR complicates the window maths in a useful way. A substitution can only happen during a stoppage, and a VAR review is a stoppage: play is paused while the check runs. The catch is that using a window during a VAR check still costs one of the three; the review does not create a fifth opportunity, it creates a natural moment to spend one. The delay itself is not free time either: the Premier League's added-time guidance counts VAR check and review delays at their exact duration, alongside substitutions, injuries and goal celebrations, with no double counting.

That is why the closing stages of a tight game often look like this: a long check at 80 minutes, both benches empty themselves at the resulting stoppage, and the board at the end shows eight or nine minutes of added time, most of it the review and the changes that followed it. It is worth having the fixtures in front of you to spot the cup ties that could run deep enough for the extra-time rules to matter.

Concussion substitutes: the changes that do not count

The five-sub limit has one safety valve. The Premier League introduced IFAB's additional permanent concussion substitutions trial from Matchweek 23 of 2020/21, on 6 February 2021, and IFAB made the protocol permanent at its 138th annual general meeting on 2 March 2024, effective 1 July 2024.

Under the current protocol each team gets one concussion substitute per match, and it does not count against the five normal substitutions or the three windows. The concussed player takes no further part in the match. When a team uses a concussion substitute, the opposition has the option of an additional normal substitute of their own, which keeps the numbers fair. Under the original 2021 trial the Premier League allowed up to two per team; the permanent protocol settled on one.

The 10-second rule from 2026/27

For 2026/27 the substitution procedure has a clock. A substituted player has 10 seconds to leave the field after the board goes up, and must leave at the nearest point unless the referee directs otherwise. If the player is slow, the substitute cannot enter until the first stoppage after a full minute has elapsed, which means the team plays short while the outgoing player dawdles. It is the same spirit as the season's other pacing changes, the five-second countdown on throw-ins and goal kicks and the one-minute minimum for injured players receiving treatment: the league has decided the stop-start theatre is over. For managers planning five substitutions in the Premier League, the windows were already tight; now the exits are timed too.

FAQ

How many substitutions can Premier League teams make?

Five per team per match, from nine named substitutes on the bench.

Do half-time substitutions count as one of the three windows?

No. Half-time is additional to the three substitution opportunities, so a change at the interval does not use a window.

Can you make five separate single substitutions?

No. Five changes must fit into three stoppages plus half-time, so at least two of the changes have to be batched in the same stoppage.

Do concussion substitutes count against the five?

No. Each team gets one concussion substitute per match under the protocol that took permanent effect on 1 July 2024, and it does not count against the five normal substitutions.

What happens if a player takes too long to leave the pitch?

From 2026/27 the player has 10 seconds to leave after the board is shown. If they exceed it, the replacement cannot enter until the first stoppage after a full minute has elapsed.

Key takeaways

• Premier League teams get five substitutions from a nine-man bench, fitting into three stoppages plus half-time.
• Five changes mean at least two must be batched: a triple change in one stoppage costs one window.
• The five-sub rule became permanent in 2022/23 after a March 2022 shareholder vote, and is now written into Law 3.
• Concussion substitutes do not count against the five; the protocol has allowed one per team since 1 July 2024.
• From 2026/27, a substituted player has 10 seconds to leave the pitch, or the team plays short until the first stoppage after a minute.