GUIDES · BETSLIP DOCTOR
If a penalty-taker slips and touches the ball twice, what happens?
This page covers a penalty taken during a match, not a penalty shoot-out. For IFAB's specific accidental immediate double-touch case, the kick is retaken if the ball enters the goal. If it does not, the defending team receives an indirect free kick from where the second touch occurred, unless the referee plays advantage. A deliberate second touch is a separate case.
For Soccer fans following penalty decisions and current rule changes · Updated
Identify the accidental immediate touch
Law 14.2 covers an accidental simultaneous kick with both feet and a ball that touches the taker's non-kicking foot or leg immediately after the kick. A slip can produce the second situation, but the rule is limited to that immediate accidental contact rather than every sequence in which the kicker touches the ball twice.
The 2026/27 Law changes page confirms this clarification. Whether contact was accidental and immediate is still a judgment about the specific play.
A goal means a retake; no goal means an indirect free kick
If the ball enters the goal from the penalty, the kick is retaken. If the ball does not enter the goal, the defending team gets an indirect free kick. When a goalkeeper saves the ball and it rebounds into the field, IFAB's FAQ places that free kick where the second touch occurred, unless the referee plays advantage.
A deliberate second touch is a different case
Law 14 separately addresses a kicker who deliberately touches the ball again after the penalty has been taken and before another player touches it. That restart is an indirect free kick, or a direct free kick if the deliberate second touch is a handball offence. The word 'twice' alone does not identify which rule applies.
A fictional slip with two possible outcomes
Imagine a fictional taker strikes with the right foot, slips, and the ball immediately brushes the non-kicking left foot. If the ball then enters the goal, the penalty is retaken. If the goalkeeper saves it and it rebounds into the field, the defending team receives an indirect free kick from the second-touch location unless the referee applies advantage. This example illustrates the rule; it does not predict a real match decision.
Related questions
Does every second touch by a penalty taker cause an indirect free kick?
No. This page covers in-match penalties, not penalty shoot-outs. For the specified accidental immediate touch, the kick is retaken if the ball enters the goal. If it does not, the defending team gets an indirect free kick from the second-touch location unless the referee plays advantage. A deliberate second touch is governed separately.