GUIDES · BETSLIP DOCTOR
When does a defective football mean a dropped ball rather than retaking the restart?
Timing decides the restart. If the ball becomes defective during ordinary play, the referee stops play and restarts with a dropped ball. If the defect happens at a kick-off, goal kick, corner, free kick, penalty kick or throw-in, that restart is taken again. A penalty or shoot-out has a narrower retake condition: the ball must be moving forward and fail before touching a player, crossbar or goalpost. The referee also controls permission to replace the ball.
For Football fans and players distinguishing a defective-ball stoppage from a restart that must be taken again. · Updated
Start with the moment the defect occurs
A defect during ordinary live play leads to a stoppage and a dropped-ball restart. It does not turn the preceding pass or shot into a restart that must automatically be repeated.
A defect at one of the six named restarts changes the result: the same restart is taken again. That list covers a kick-off, goal kick, corner, free kick, penalty kick and throw-in.
The dropped-ball procedure, including who receives it and where it is placed in special circumstances, is set by Law 8. This guide covers the defect trigger rather than repeating the separate recipient guide.
A penalty has a specific before-contact test
During a penalty kick or kicks from the penalty mark, the retake condition applies when the ball is moving forward and becomes defective before it touches any player, the crossbar or a goalpost. Keep both parts of that test: forward movement and no listed contact yet.
A later failure is not an automatic retake under this pre-contact condition. The rule does not support diagnosing a ball from video or deciding equipment quality from how a shot looked.
The referee controls replacement
A ball cannot be changed during the match without the referee's permission. Any additional balls around the field are also used under the referee's control. The rule explains the restart; it does not make the guide an equipment inspection.
Which edition this guide uses
Edition note: This guide follows the IFAB's current online Laws of the Game 2026/27, checked 15 October 2026. Circular 32 dates the edition's effect to 1 July 2026. Competitions that had already started may adopt it earlier or no later than their next competition; the adoption of any particular competition is not established here. Circular 34 explains that Circular 33 changes appeared online but missed the printed book's production schedule. This guide uses the current online text and does not claim that each clause is new in 2026/27 or that a trial applies.
Three fictional defect timings
In a fictional Cedar–Harbor match, the ball becomes unusable while a Cedar player dribbles through midfield; the referee stops play and uses a dropped ball. In a separate restart, the ball is found defective as Harbor takes a corner, so the corner is retaken. In a third, a penalty is moving forward but has not yet touched a player or the goal frame when it becomes defective, so the penalty is retaken after the referee permits a replacement. These are stipulated examples, not calls about a real match.
Related questions
Is a dropped ball the restart whenever a ball fails?
No. A defect during ordinary play leads to a dropped ball, but a defect at one of the six listed restarts means that restart is repeated.
Does every defective penalty ball have to be kicked again?
The special retake rule applies when the ball is moving forward and becomes defective before touching a player, the crossbar or a goalpost.
Can a team replace a ball whenever it wants?
No. The referee must permit a ball change during the match, and use of additional balls remains under referee control.
Sources and further reading
- The IFAB — Laws of the Game 2026/27, Law 2: The Ball; 2.2 Replacement of a defective ball; 2.3 Additional balls. Current online body checked 2026-10-15; a separate day-level body publication date was not established.
- The IFAB — Laws of the Game 2026/27, Law 8: The Start and Restart of Play; 8.2 Dropped ball, full procedure and sanctions. Current online body checked 2026-10-15; a separate day-level body publication date was not established.
- The IFAB Circular 32, dated 2026-03-31, p. 3: 2026/27 effective date and transition.
- The IFAB Circular 33, dated 2026-05-19: additional 2026/27 changes, read for edition control.
- The IFAB Circular 34, dated 2026-07-27, pp. 2 and 4: online/printed materials and trial-permission controls.