Sports Cockpit · Ball & Team · Laws of the Game 2026/27

Football — rules, youth leagues, contracts & the road to the ISL

Governed by IFAB / FIFA · All India Football Federation (AIFF) ·Official rule books & government schemes only ·Last checked 15 Oct 2026

Education Margdarshan's complete football map for India: the Laws in force from 1 July 2026, the age and contract rules every academy player signs under, the Blue Cubs-to-ISL pathway, the trials at Tata Football Academy and SAI, who pays, and the coaching licences and jobs after playing.

📍 See The Journey / Full Roadmap Laws of the Game 2026/27 (PDF) the-aiff.com

Match: 11 a side, 2 × 45 min; no match below 7 players [1]
Substitutes: Up to 5 in 3 windows + half-time [1]
First contract: Not before 16; max 3 years until 18 [2]
ISL 2025-26: 14 clubs, 91 matches, relegation to IFL [3]

01 Core rules & category limits

The Laws of the Game in force from 1 July 2026

A match is two teams of maximum eleven players, one a goalkeeper. A match may not start or continue if a team has fewer than seven.
A match is two equal halves of 45 minutes; half-time may not exceed 15 minutes. The referee adds time lost to substitutions, injuries, time-wasting, VAR checks, goal celebrations, drinks breaks (up to 1 minute) and cooling breaks (90 seconds to 3 minutes).
In official competitions up to five substitutes may be used; top-division club and senior A international teams get three substitution opportunities plus half-time. Competitions may also allow additional permanent concussion substitutes. [1]

Field and ball [1]

Field and ball
Item	Any match	International match
Touchline (length)	90–120 m	100–110 m
Goal line (width)	45–90 m	64–75 m
Ball	Circumference 68–70 cm · 410–450 g at kick-off · 0.6–1.1 atmosphere	Same, and FIFA/confederation competitions need an approved ball

Friendlies between senior A national teams may now use eight substitutes (eleven if both teams agree), still in three windows.
A substituted player has ten seconds to leave the field; if exceeded, the substitute cannot enter until the first stoppage after one minute.
Barring exceptions, a player treated on the field must stay off for one minute after play restarts.
VAR may now review a red card from a clearly wrong second yellow, a card shown to the wrong player and (competition option) a wrongly awarded corner.
The 'Only the captain' guideline becomes compulsory from 1 July 2027. [1]

Football has no weight or height classes. Competitions are split by age group and by men's/women's football; the age limits come from each competition's rules. [1]

02 Institutional & global recognition

World Cup, Olympics, Asian Games and India's leagues

The FIFA World Cup 2026 in Canada, Mexico and the United States was the first with 48 teams and 104 matches; 1,248 players were named in final squads (26 per team). The youngest was 17 years and 240 days old. [4]

Indian Super League 2025-26 [3]

Indian Super League 2025-26
Item	Fact
Organiser	AIFF ran the ISL itself for the first time, in line with a Supreme Court judgement
Clubs and format	14 clubs, single-leg round robin, 91 matches at 11 venues in 10 states, from 14 February 2026
Relegation	First time: the bottom club drops to the Indian Football League (IFL); the IFL champion moves up
Asian reward	The ISL champion enters the AFC Champions League Two preliminary round

Football medals at the Olympic Games, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games earn the Ministry's cash award, as do the FIFA World Cup and the 'AFC Cup (quadrennial)' named in the scheme.
In team events every squad member, including reserves, gets 75% of the matching individual award; the coach gets 50% of the athlete's share. [13]

03 Physical, age & gender eligibility

Contracts, minors and what academies test at trials

A minor is any player under 18. A professional has a written contract and is paid more than his or her football expenses; an amateur signs an AIFF consent form and is not paid beyond expenses.
Players under 16 may not sign a contract under any circumstance.
Under 18, a professional contract needs the parents' or guardian's counter-signature and may run for no more than 3 years.
Any contract runs at least to the end of the season and at most 5 years.
International transfers of minors are allowed only under Article 19 of FIFA's transfer regulations.
Every club academy and private academy must report all minors it trains to the state association, which keeps a register. [2]

What Tata Football Academy asked for at its 2018 trials (15th batch) [11]

What Tata Football Academy asked for at its 2018 trials (15th batch)
Requirement	Benchmark
Date of birth	1 Jan 2002 – 31 Dec 2003 (aged about 14–16)
Minimum height	5 ft 6 in (approx.)
Minimum weight	55 kg
Birth proof	Government birth certificate registered within one year of birth, Aadhaar, and a principal's letter on age and class
Tested on	Match performance, technique, tactics, physical and medical parameters

These are one academy's published trial rules for one year, not a national standard. Check the academy's current notice before travelling. [11]

Footballers in India are bound by NADA's anti-doping rules: be available for testing, check every medicine against the Prohibited List, and apply for a TUE when no permitted treatment exists. [15]

04 Grassroots-to-elite roadmap

From Blue Cubs to the ISL

1Grassroots & local entry 4–12 · 8–14
2State to national breakthrough U14–U19 · 10–18
3National camp & elite trials U18 · 16+
4International orbit Youth · senior

The full Football roadmap has its own page

Every stage from first club to the international level, the detailed route, the age-by-age ladder and what to eat from stage 1, with sources.

📍 See The Journey / Full Roadmap

05 Top training academies & cities

Where India's footballers are trained

Verified football centres [12]

Verified football centres
Centre	City / state	What it is
SAI NCOE Thiruvananthapuram	Kerala	Government residential centre — football with athletics, cycling, taekwondo, volleyball
SAI NCOE Guwahati	Assam	Football with archery, athletics, boxing, cycling, fencing, taekwondo
SAI NCOE Imphal	Manipur	Football with archery, athletics, cycling, fencing, hockey, judo, weightlifting, wushu

Tata Football Academy, Bistupur, Jamshedpur (Jharkhand) selects cadets through open trials judged on match situations, technique, tactics and physical ability; shortlisted boys stay for final trials, and no travel fare is paid for attending. [11]

FIFA Talent Academy, Bhubaneswar (Odisha) is part of the FIFA Talent Development Scheme run with the AIFF. [8]

The AIFF's National Centre of Excellence — India Football Campus, Kolkata is planned as the home of all national teams; its first phase (technical centre, one natural and one floodlit artificial pitch) is under construction with FIFA and AFC help. [9]

SAI Bengaluru is not a football centre — its NCOE disciplines are athletics, hockey, taekwondo and weightlifting. AIFF also publishes a list of accredited academies on its website. [12]

06 Dietary framework & financial cost breakdown

Food, supplements and who pays

Food first: NADA's advice is to meet needs from food before considering supplements, with a certified nutritionist.
No supplement is 100% safe and strict liability applies — the player is responsible for whatever is found in the sample. [16]

Who pays — football [12][14][2]

Who pays — football
Stage	Paid by	Amount
Adopted school (age 8–14)	SAI National Sports Talent Contest	Kit ₹2,000 · competitions ₹2,000 · stipend ₹3,000 a year
Khelo India athlete	Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports	₹6.28 lakh a year incl. ₹1.20 lakh cash
Athlete in hardship	PDU National Welfare Fund	Up to ₹2.50 lakh
Professional	The club, under a written contract	Set by the contract

The TOPS core group (August 2024) was 174 individual athletes plus the men's and women's hockey teams — no football team. [14]

07 Earning channels & post-athletic horizons

Contracts, coaching licences and sports-quota jobs

A professional contract is your main income; a club wanting a player under contract must inform his current club in writing first, and he is free to sign elsewhere only when his contract has expired or ends within 6 months.
If a licensed football agent negotiated the deal, the contract must name the agent. [2]

Coaching qualifications offered in India (AIFF calendar 2026) [10]

Coaching qualifications offered in India (AIFF calendar 2026)
Level	Examples on the calendar
AIFF D Certificate	Aizawl 5–10 Oct 2026 · Indore 1–6 Nov 2026
AFC C Diploma	Rising Stars FA, 18–29 Nov 2026
AFC B Diploma	Bhopal, Imphal, Goa and other venues through 2026
AFC A Diploma	Minerva Academy (Mar–Oct 2026) · Dempo FC, Goa (Mar–Oct 2026)

Football is one of the 65 sports in the central sports quota for Group C posts, with age relaxation of up to 5 years (10 for SC/ST).
Medals at Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games or World Championships can bring up to three out-of-turn promotions for a government employee — in team events only if the player played at least 50% of the matches; reserves do not qualify. [17]

Retired champions can receive the Pension to Meritorious Sportspersons of ₹12,000–20,000 a month. [14]

08 Disqualification traps

Mistakes that cost young footballers their chance

A late-registered birth certificate — TFA accepted only certificates registered within one year of birth.
Canvassing for selection automatically disqualified the applicant. [11]

Signing before 16, or a contract over 3 years before 18 — AIFF will not recognise it.
Joining a private academy that does not report its minors to the state association — state associations must report wrongdoing at private academies. [2]

Age fraud and doping are grounds for removal from SAI centres; age verification is compulsory when admission is based on sub-junior or junior results. [12]

09 Official sources & verification

Where these facts come from

Every fact on this Education Margdarshan page is taken from the governing body's own rule book or a Government of India file below, read on 15 October 2026. Federations change rules, weight classes and scheme amounts — open the current file before you act on it.

The IFAB — Laws of the Game 2026/27 (effective 1 July 2026) (opens in a new tab) Players, substitutions, duration, field and ball, 2026/27 law changes · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
AIFF — Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, 2025 (opens in a new tab) Amateur/professional status, contract length, minors, academy reporting, agents · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
Indian Super League — 2025-26 key facts and figures (17 Feb 2026) (opens in a new tab) AIFF-run league, 14 clubs, 91 matches, relegation to IFL, AFC Champions League Two entry · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
FIFA — FIFA World Cup 2026 squads confirmed (media release) (opens in a new tab) 48 teams, 104 matches, 1,248 players, youngest player · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
AIFF — Blue Cubs League (opens in a new tab) Ages 4–12, 2v2 to 7v7 formats, state association NOC · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
AIFF — U-18 Elite League (opens in a new tab) 130+ clubs and academies in 2025-26, final-round format · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
AIFF — official website (national teams) (opens in a new tab) National teams: men U17, U19, U23, senior; women U15, U17, U19, senior · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
AIFF — FIFA Talent Development Scheme (opens in a new tab) FIFA Talent Academies, Bhubaneswar, scouting and monitoring · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
AIFF — National Centre of Excellence, Kolkata (opens in a new tab) India Football Campus plan and first-phase construction · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
AIFF — Coaching Education (opens in a new tab) D Certificate and AFC C/B/A Diploma courses on the 2026 calendar · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
Tata Steel — Tata Football Academy selection trial for the 15th batch (27 Apr 2018) (opens in a new tab) Trial age band, height and weight minimums, documents, selection method, venue · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
SAI — Brief on Sports Promotional Schemes 2024-25 (opens in a new tab) NCOE football centres, STC team-game entry, weeding-out rules · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
MYAS — Scheme of Cash Incentive to Medal Winners (amended 1 Feb 2025) (opens in a new tab) Football events covered, 75% team rule, coach share · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
PIB — Financial Support to Athletes (5 Aug 2024) (opens in a new tab) Khelo India, TOPS core group, welfare fund, pension · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
NADA India — Athlete's Rights & Responsibilities (opens in a new tab) Testing duties, Prohibited List, TUE · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
NADA India — Managing the Risk of Nutritional Supplements (opens in a new tab) Food first, supplement risk, strict liability · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
DoPT — Instructions on Recruitment/Promotion for Sportspersons (18 Nov 2022) (opens in a new tab) Football in the 65-sport list, Group C, age relaxation, out-of-turn promotion in team events · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
Western Railway RRC — Employment Notice RRC/WR/01/2026 (Sports Quota), 27 Aug 2026 (opens in a new tab) Age 18–25 on 1 Jan 2027, Level 5/4, 3/2 and 1 sports norms, MoYAS-recognition rule, fees · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
CRPF — Recruitment of Meritorious Sportspersons, HC & Constable (GD), Sports Quota 2026 (Advt. R.II-21/2026-Sports, 17 Sep 2026) (opens in a new tab) 521 posts, age 18–23 on 1 Aug 2026 with sportsperson relaxation (+5 UR, +8 OBC, +10 SC/ST), qualifications, fee, ₹1 lakh bond · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
SAI NSNIS Patiala — Diploma in Sports Coaching (course page, 2026-27) (opens in a new tab) 1 year, ₹63,800, 785 + 104 seats in 26 disciplines at Patiala, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Thiruvananthapuram; Category A (Class 12 + international record), B (graduation + national record) · Last checked 19 Oct 2026
Khelo India Youth Games 2026 (Telangana) — Sports (opens in a new tab) The 25 disciplines listed for KIYG 2026 · Last checked 19 Oct 2026
ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition — Dietary Guidelines for Indians (booklet), Guideline 8 (opens in a new tab) Cereal-pulse 3:1 protein quality, vegetarian and non-vegetarian protein sources; most athletes meet protein needs from food, protein powders unnecessary · Last checked 19 Oct 2026

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