When Is the Ball Out of Play? Law 9 Explained, From the Whole-Ball Rule to Balls That Hit the Referee

In football, the ball is out of play only when the whole of the ball has crossed the goal line or touchline, on the ground or in the air, or when the referee has stopped play; at all other times it is in play. That principle comes from Law 9 of the Laws of the Game, and it shapes every throw-in, corner and goal kick recorded on RubiScore.

This explainer covers what Law 9 says, the situations that most often confuse players and supporters, the 2019 change for balls that hit the referee and why the law matters for match data. Match timelines and statistics, including corners and other restarts, are available at https://rubiscore.com, and each of those restarts begins with a Law 9 decision that the ball has left play.

What Does Law 9 Say?

Law 9, titled The Ball In and Out of Play, is one of the shortest laws, published by the International Football Association Board (IFAB). It says the ball is out of play when:

• It has wholly passed over the goal line or touchline, on the ground or in the air.
• Play has been stopped by the referee.
• It touches a match official, remains on the field of play and then a team starts a promising attack, the ball goes directly into the goal or the team in possession changes.

At all other times the ball is in play. That includes when it rebounds off a goalpost, crossbar or corner flagpost and stays on the field, and when it touches a match official in any situation not covered by the three conditions above.

The Whole-Ball Rule

The most important word in Law 9 is "wholly". The ball is not out when most of it is over the line, or when it is touching the line. It is out only when no part of the ball is above or on the line.

This follows from Law 1, which states that the lines belong to the areas they mark. A ball on the touchline is on the field of play, and a ball on the goal line between the posts is not yet a goal.

Because of the ball's curvature, a ball can look out from a side angle while still being in play when viewed from directly above. The edge of the ball can overhang the line even if the point where it touches the grass is outside the line.

The Famous Example: Japan Against Spain

The clearest recent illustration came at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, when Japan played Spain in the group stage. Kaoru Mitoma pulled the ball back from very close to the goal line, and Ao Tanaka scored. Many television angles suggested the ball had gone out, but the video assistant referee concluded that part of the ball's curvature was still above the line, and the goal stood.

The episode showed how far everyday perception can differ from the law. Supporters were judging where the ball touched the ground; the law asks whether any part of the ball remained over the line.

Balls in the Air

The rule applies in the air as well as on the ground. A corner kick that curls wholly over the goal line in flight and then swings back into the field has gone out of play, even if it never touched the ground outside. The same applies to a long pass or cross that bends out over the touchline before curving back.

These situations are difficult for officials, because the ball may be out for only a fraction of a second, high above the line. Assistant referees are positioned in line with the play to judge exactly this kind of decision.

What Happens When the Ball Hits the Referee?

Before 2019, a ball that struck the referee was simply in play, because officials were treated as part of the field. That led to situations in which a deflection off the referee gifted possession to one team or set up a goal.

Since a law change that took effect in 2019, a ball that touches a match official and stays on the field is out of play if one of three things follows:

• A team starts a promising attack.
• The ball goes directly into the goal.
• The team in possession of the ball changes.

In each case, play restarts with a dropped ball. If none of those things happens, for example if the ball deflects off the referee to a teammate of the player who last touched it in a harmless area, play continues.

How the Dropped Ball Works Now

The same 2019 revision changed the dropped ball itself. Previously, the referee dropped the ball between players from both teams, who could contest it. Now the ball is dropped for a single player:

• If play was stopped inside the penalty area, or the last touch was in the penalty area, the ball is dropped for the defending goalkeeper.
• In all other cases, it is dropped for one player of the team that last touched the ball, at the position where it was last touched.
• All other players must stay at least four metres away until the ball touches the ground.

A goal cannot be scored directly from a dropped ball until it has been touched by at least two players. The change removed the awkward custom of deliberately kicking a contested dropped ball back to the opposition.

Common Situations That Confuse People

Several everyday situations are often misread:

• A player standing off the pitch. A player whose feet are outside the field can still play a ball that is in play. What matters is the position of the ball, not the player.
• A ball rebounding off the corner flag. If it stays on the field, play continues.
• A ball hitting the post and coming back. It remains in play, even if it then rolls along the goal line.
• A ball on the line. If any part is on or over the line, it is still in play.
• The referee's whistle. Play is stopped when the referee signals, not when players stop or appeal.

How VAR Fits In

Video assistant referees can check whether the ball left the field of play during the attacking phase that leads to a goal or a penalty decision. If the ball went out earlier in the move, the goal can be disallowed even if the move continued for several passes.

Ordinary throw-ins and corners away from those match-changing incidents are not reviewed. Goal-line technology covers a separate question, whether the whole ball crossed the goal line between the posts, which decides whether a goal has been scored under Law 10.

Why Law 9 Matters for Match Data

Every restart in the data begins with a Law 9 decision. A corner kick counts because the ball wholly crossed the goal line off a defender; a throw-in counts because it crossed the touchline. When an official judges a ball to have stayed in play, the expected restart never appears in the statistics.

Law 9 also shapes ball-in-play time, the number of minutes during which the ball is actually in play. In most professional matches this is well short of the 90 minutes on the clock, because time is lost to restarts, injuries, substitutions and other stoppages. Competitions and IFAB have paid increasing attention to this figure when guiding referees on added time.

On RubiScore, match timelines show stoppages, cards and substitutions in order, which helps explain why a match with a long first half also produced a long period of added time.

Common Misconceptions

• "If most of the ball is over the line, it is out." It must be wholly over.
• "A ball that hits the referee is always play on." Not since 2019, if it leads to an attack, a goal or a change of possession.
• "The line is out." The line belongs to the field.
• "A curling ball that comes back in was never out." If it wholly crossed the line in the air, it was out.

A Worked Example

Imagine a winger chasing a pass towards the corner. The ball reaches the goal line and the winger cuts it back for a teammate to score. From the main camera, the ball appears to be out. From an overhead angle, a sliver of the ball is still above the line when the winger touches it. Under Law 9 the ball was still in play, so the goal is valid. If the overhead image had shown the whole ball beyond the line, VAR could have advised the referee to disallow the goal, and the match data would instead show a goal kick.

The Takeaway

Law 9 is short, but it governs every restart in football. The ball is out only when it has wholly crossed a line or the referee has stopped play, and since 2019 a ball that strikes an official can also end play when it changes the course of an attack. Reading restarts, corners and ball-in-play time correctly starts with understanding this law.