WHAT THE RULEBOOKS SAY
Every team sport starts with a number.
Each sport's laws say how many players a side may put out, and competitions add rules on who waits on the bench. Here are the numbers, straight from the rulebooks and a standard reference.
ELEVEN and one in goal
THE SHORT ANSWER
Each sport's governing rules set how many play.
Competitions then decide the bench.
FOOTBALL
The Laws of the Game, as published by the FA, say a team has a maximum of eleven players, and one must be the goalkeeper.
Compare sportsRUGBY
World Rugby's laws allow no more than 15 players per team in the playing area. The sevens variation cuts that to seven.
See the numbersCOURT GAMES
Britannica describes netball as seven a side and basketball as five a side, played on a rectangular court, usually indoors.
Reading a team sheetA QUICK COMPARISON
Pick a sport to see how many players each side puts out. The bar shows team size, from small court teams to large field teams.
Numbers are for the standard adult game. Junior and small-sided formats often use fewer players.
TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING
One figure on how few players a game needs,
one on how many can come on.
7 players
Fewest players to play on
Under Law 3, a football match may not start or continue if either team has fewer than seven players.
MINIMUM · FOOTBALL LAW 3
8 replacements
International rugby union bench
For international 15-a-side matches, a union may nominate up to eight replacements. In sevens, international teams may nominate and use up to five.
REPLACEMENTS · WORLD RUGBY
In football, the FA's Law 3 says competition rules set how many substitutes may be named, from three to fifteen, and up to five may be used in official competitions.
READING A TEAM SHEET
A few questions help make sense of any team sport you are new to, whether you are watching or joining a local club.
Check how many players each side fields under the sport's laws, and which positions are fixed, such as football's one goalkeeper.
Replacements depend on the competition. Football's Law 3 lets competition rules decide how many substitutes are named.
Many sports have shorter variants with fewer players, such as rugby sevens alongside the 15-a-side game.
Some laws set a floor. In football, a game cannot start or continue with fewer than seven on either side.
SUBSTITUTES
In football, the FA's Law 3 says up to five substitutes may be used in official competitions, with the number set by FIFA, the confederation or the national association.
Where five substitutes are allowed in top-division or senior international matches, each team gets a maximum of three substitution opportunities, plus half-time. Unused substitutes and opportunities can be carried into extra time.
Questions
A maximum of eleven on the pitch, one of whom must be the goalkeeper, according to Law 3 of the Laws of the Game as published by the FA.
Yes, down to a point. Law 3 says a match may not start or continue if either team has fewer than seven players.
No more than 15 per team in the playing area during play, under World Rugby's Law 3. The sevens variation allows no more than seven.
Seven a side. Britannica lists three centre players, two attackers and two defenders, and says only the two attackers may shoot.
Football, field hockey and cricket all put out 11 players per side in the standard game, according to the FA's laws and Britannica.
Sources
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