GUIDES · BETSLIP DOCTOR
Who receives a dropped ball when play stops outside the penalty area?
Under Law 8.2, when play is stopped outside the penalty area, the referee drops the ball to one player from the team that had or would have retained or gained possession, if that team can be determined. This can include a team that would have received a restart, such as a throw-in, if the ball was heading out. If the referee cannot determine which team had or would have had possession, the ball is dropped for one player from the team that last touched it. The drop location is normally where play stopped, with a separate contact-point rule when the ball touched a match official or outside agent.
For Soccer fans trying to understand a dropped-ball restart after an interruption outside the penalty area. · Updated
Possession comes before last touch
For a stoppage outside the penalty area, Law 8.2 gives priority to the team that had, or would have had, possession when the referee can determine it. The wording covers a likely continuation as well as a ball that would have gone out of play. For example, if the ball was going out for a throw-in and the referee can identify which team would receive that throw, that team can receive the dropped ball.
Last touch is the fallback, not the automatic rule. It applies when the referee cannot determine which team had or would have retained or gained possession. The decision is about the likely possession at the moment play was stopped, not simply a count of the last player to touch the ball.
The drop location is a separate question
The ball is normally dropped where it was when play stopped. If it touched a match official or an outside agent, such as a ball person, the drop is made at the position where that contact occurred. That location rule does not change the possession test for choosing the receiving team.
The penalty-area boundary matters. When play is stopped inside the penalty area, the defending goalkeeper receives the dropped ball under a different part of Law 8.2. This guide covers the outside-area procedure, so it should not be used to infer the recipient for a stoppage inside the area.
- First ask whether the referee can identify which team had or would have had possession.
- Use the last-touch team only when that possession cannot be determined.
- Apply the contact-point exception separately when a match official or outside agent touched the ball.
A fictional ball-person interruption near the touchline
In a fictional match outside the penalty area, the ball is rolling toward the touchline and would have gone out for Team B's throw-in. A ball person catches it before it crosses the line. If the referee can determine Team B would have received that throw-in, Law 8.2 allows the dropped ball to go to Team B; because an outside agent touched the ball, the drop is at the contact point. In a different fictional stoppage where the referee cannot determine which team had or would have gained possession, the last-touch team is the fallback.
Related questions
Does the last-touch team always receive a dropped ball outside the penalty area?
No. The referee first considers which team had or would have had possession. The last-touch team receives it when the referee cannot determine that possession.
Can a team receive the dropped ball because it would have had a throw-in?
Yes. If the referee can determine which team would have received the restart, such as a throw-in for a ball going out, that team can receive the dropped ball.
Where is the dropped ball placed after an outside agent touches it?
The ball is dropped at the position where the contact with the outside agent occurred. The recipient is still determined under the possession rule.