7-a-side football rules: how it works and what varies

7-a-side football (futbol 7) is the shortened version of the game: seven players per team, goalkeeper included, on a smaller pitch with smaller goals than 11-a-side. In Mexico it is very popular in amateur football: office leagues, neighbourhood leagues and groups of friends rent artificial-turf pitches by the hour and play on weeknight evenings or at the weekend. This guide summarises how it is played, what changes from one league to another and how to set up your first game.

What 7-a-side is

It is 11-a-side football adapted to fewer players and less space. The aim is the same: score more goals than the other team. With fewer people on a shorter pitch you touch the ball more, the game is faster and there is hardly any dead time, which makes it a great option if you want to play without organising twenty-two people.

Rules change by league

This is the most important point: 7-a-side has no single rulebook applied the same way everywhere. Each league or organiser sets its own, so ask how it works before you play. These are the most common differences:

• Substitutions: in many leagues changes are unlimited and made on the fly or at any stoppage. In others you must tell the referee.
• Offside: some leagues do not call it, others only call it near the penalty area and others apply the full rule.
• Throw-ins: it may be by hand, as in 11-a-side, or a kick-in with the ball placed on the line.
• Length: two halves of a fixed length is the usual format, but the number of minutes and the break are set by each league.
• Goalkeeper: some leagues limit where the keeper may handle the ball or ban the long throw or kick straight from the keeper.

The base: the IFAB Laws of the Game

The Laws of the Game are published by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) and are the reference for all organised football. They are written for 11-a-side, so they do not set the size of the pitch or the goals in 7-a-side. What does work as a base in almost every league are the core ideas: the whole ball must cross the line to be a goal, hands are banned except for the goalkeeper in the area, and the referee has the final word.

So when a 7-a-side league does not spell something out, the usual approach is to settle it as the Laws of the Game would. And if the pitch is a different size, what matters is that it is the same for both teams.

How a match is played

• Each team plays with seven players on the pitch, one of them the goalkeeper.
• The match starts with a kick-off and is played in two halves.
• A goal is scored when the whole ball crosses the goal line.
• If the ball leaves over the goal line or the sidelines, play restarts with a goal kick, corner kick or throw-in, as the case may be.
• The team with more goals wins. If it is a draw, in a league the points are usually shared, and in a knockout it is settled by penalties.

Fouls and cards

Fouls are like those in 11-a-side: pushing, tripping, pulling a shirt or handling the ball is penalised. The difference is that on a small pitch many leagues are stricter about hard challenges, and some ban the slide tackle.

• Yellow card: it is a caution. Some leagues add a temporary dismissal of a few minutes.
• Red card: it is a sending-off. The team plays a player short, and the follow-up sanction depends on each league.
• Free kick and penalty: fouls are punished with a free kick, and those inside the area with a penalty. The distance of the wall changes with the size of the pitch.

Kit to play

• Artificial-turf footwear: shoes with small studs or a multi-stud sole. The long studs made for natural grass catch and can hurt your knee or ankle.
• Shin guards: compulsory in almost every organised league, and recommended always.
• Two shirts of different colours, or bibs, to tell the teams apart. The goalkeeper wears a colour different from everyone else.
• Water and a towel. With so much movement, hydration matters more than it seems.

How to set up a game

The most common way to play is a pickup game among friends: you gather fourteen people, rent the pitch by the hour and split into teams. If you do not reach fourteen, you can play with fewer on each side on the same pitch. All you need is to agree the rules before kicking off: substitutions, offside and throw-ins.

To pay for the pitch, the fairest way is to split the cost among everyone who plays, even those who arrive late. It is a good idea for one person to make the booking and collect the money before the match, to avoid misunderstandings. Whoever gets injured or cancels at the last minute leaves a gap: keep a substitute on hand.

How to find a pitch in Mexico

MeetAndPlay has a directory of places to play 7-a-side football in Mexico. It is built from OpenStreetMap data and from public sources we research, and it is a directory: we do not sell bookings, so to reserve a pitch you will need to contact the venue directly. Open the futbol 7 directory, pick your city and see which pitches are near you.

Before you go, confirm by phone or on their social media that the place is still open and has the time slot you want. And when you find a good place, stick with it: always playing at the same pitch makes it easier to keep the group together.