Today's 17 Laws continue to be based upon the rules that were first ratified by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) when it was founded in 1886. The Laws have evolved in accordance with the demands of modern-day football, but the key element remains of football being seen as essentially a simple game, with laws that can be applied in the same way at any level from the World Cup Final to a friendly game on a local park.

Youth football also follows these rules with variations in duration of play, use of roll-on, roll-off substitutions and, at younger levels, no offside. You can read all the laws of the game by clicking on any of the links below.