A neutral restart

The dropped ball is the restart used when no team caused the stoppage. It happens when:

• A player is injured and play is stopped
• Outside interference (a fan, a stray ball, a streaker) ends the action
• The ball hits the referee and play has to be stopped under Law 9
• An object is on the pitch that needs removing

These are all situations where neither team is at fault. The dropped ball restores play without favouring either side.

The 2019 change

Until 2019, dropped balls were contested. The referee dropped the ball between one player from each team and they competed for it. This often led to one team kicking the ball back to the other in a gesture of fair play — a ceremonial restart that delayed the game.

That ritual ended. Now the ball is given directly to:

• The team that last had clear possession before the stoppage, or
• The defending goalkeeper if play was stopped inside the penalty area

The change cut out the negotiation and made restarts faster.

How the drop works

The procedure:

1. The referee identifies the correct player to receive the ball
2. All other players move at least 4 metres away
3. The referee holds the ball and releases it from waist height
4. The ball is in play once it touches the ground

The receiving player then plays normally — pass, dribble, or kick to a teammate.

Goalkeeper drops

If play was stopped inside the penalty area, the dropped ball always goes to the goalkeeper of the defending team — regardless of who had possession when play stopped. This protects the defending team in their most sensitive zone.

Inside the box, the keeper can also use their hands on the dropped ball.

Direct goals are not allowed

A dropped ball cannot directly score a goal. The ball must touch at least one other player first.

If the dropped ball goes directly into the opposing goal, the restart is a goal kick. If it goes directly into the dropping team's own goal, the restart is a corner kick to the opposition.

This rule prevents abuse — without it, a dropped ball near the opponent's goal could be lobbed into the net in one motion.

When fairness still matters

The new rule removes the need for the kick-it-back ritual. But fair play still matters informally — teams will sometimes pause briefly before the drop or play a low-pressure pass to acknowledge the situation.

The rule does not require this. It just allows play to resume cleanly when no one is at fault.

Exceptions

A dropped ball is not used for normal stoppages caused by team actions:

• Fouls → free kick
• Ball out of play → throw-in, goal kick, or corner
• Goals → kick-off
• Offside → indirect free kick

The dropped ball is reserved for the genuinely neutral cases.