Football Substitutions, Players and Stoppage Windows

The number of substitutes permitted is different from the number of substitution opportunities during stoppages. Competition regulations set the allowance within IFAB Law 3. In top-level competitions allowing five substitutes, teams have three in-play opportunities and can also make changes at half-time.

Count players and opportunities separately

Two players entering during one stoppage use two substitutes but one opportunity. A team using five players across three stoppages has exhausted both allowances. Do not calculate the remaining entitlement merely by counting appearances of the board: record how many players entered and when.

A half-time change still uses a substitute even though it does not consume an in-play opportunity. When both teams change players at the same stoppage, it counts as an opportunity for each under the applicable system.

Extra time and special provisions

A competition may allow an additional substitute and opportunity in extra time. It may also adopt the additional permanent concussion-substitute protocol. These provisions are not universal, and friendlies or age-group competitions can have different arrangements.

The time-limited exit procedure

The 2026/27 time-limited substitution procedure introduces a ten-second exit requirement after the specified substitution signal, with safety and injury exceptions. Exceeding it delays the replacement's entry until the first stoppage after one minute has elapsed following the restart, under the protocol.

A team can therefore be temporarily short while its replacement waits. Check the referee's signal and explanation before assuming a sending-off or counting error. The competition's own regulations remain essential when applying the general framework to a particular match.