Twelve yards, one kicker, one goalkeeper, and the highest-pressure moment the sport can produce. The penalty kick looks simple, but the penalty kick rules soccer actually enforces are full of details that decide World Cups: where the goalkeeper’s feet can be, when a kick must be retaken, what happens to rebounds, and how in-game penalties differ from shootouts. Here is the complete rulebook, in plain English.
When a Penalty Is Awarded
A penalty kick is given when a defending player commits a direct free-kick offense inside his own penalty area, the large box extending 18 yards from goal. That covers fouls like tripping, pushing, holding, careless challenges, and deliberate handball. The location of the foul matters, not the location of the ball; a shirt pull in the box concedes a penalty even if the ball is elsewhere. With video review now standard at top levels, referees can be sent to the monitor for penalty decisions, and marginal calls, especially handballs and light contact, remain the sport’s most argued moments.
The Setup: Who Stands Where
The ball is placed on the penalty spot, 12 yards from the goal line. The kicker must be clearly identified to the referee. The goalkeeper must remain on his goal line, between the posts, facing the kicker until the ball is struck. Every other player must stand outside the penalty area, outside the penalty arc (the D at the top of the box), and behind the ball. The referee whistles, and only then may the kick be taken.
The Goalkeeper’s Rules
The keeper’s constraints are stricter than most fans realize. He may move along his line, but at the moment the ball is kicked, he must have at least part of one foot on or in line with the goal line; he cannot be standing yards off his line to cut the angle. He cannot touch the posts, crossbar, or net, and he cannot behave in a way that unfairly distracts the kicker, though gamesmanship within the rules, a bit of chatter, a delay, a long stare, is part of the theater. If the keeper leaves his line early and saves the kick, the penalty is retaken, and repeated offenses can draw a caution.
The Kicker’s Rules
The kicker has quirks of his own to observe. He may stutter or pause during his run-up, but he cannot fake the kick once his run-up is complete; a full stop at the ball to bait the keeper into diving is illegal, punished by an indirect free kick to the defense if he scores. The ball must be kicked forward, and the kicker cannot touch it a second time until another player has touched it, which is the rule that governs rebounds.
Rebounds, Retakes, and Encroachment
During a normal in-game penalty, the ball is live once kicked. If the keeper saves it or it bounces off the post, play continues, and anyone, including the original kicker after another touch, can score from the rebound. This is why teammates crowd the edge of the box, sprinting in the instant the ball is struck.
Encroachment, players entering the box early, triggers a decision tree: if an attacker encroaches and the goal is scored, the kick is retaken; if a defender encroaches and the kick is missed, it is also retaken; if the encroachment did not affect the outcome, referees generally let it stand. A kick is also retaken if the goalkeeper comes off his line early and saves, as noted above.
| Scenario | Result |
|---|---|
| Keeper off his line early, saves | Retake |
| Attacker encroaches, goal scored | Retake |
| Kicker feints at the end of run-up and scores | Disallowed, indirect free kick |
| Save or post during open play | Ball is live, rebounds count |
| Keeper saves in a shootout | Kick over, no rebound |
In-Game Penalties vs Shootout Penalties
The single biggest difference: rebounds. In a shootout, each kick is one shot only, and the ball is dead the moment it is saved, misses, or scores; nobody can follow up. Shootouts also alternate teams kick by kick, require every kicker to be a player on the field at the final whistle, and use their own sudden-death mechanics once the initial five rounds are level, all of which we cover in our full guide to World Cup extra time and penalty rules. The technique and psychology are identical, but the stakes-per-kick in a shootout are unmatched anywhere in sports.
The Numbers Behind the Duel
Penalties heavily favor the kicker, with conversion rates historically running around three in four. The keeper’s real weapon is information: teams compile databases of every kicker’s habits, and keepers famously carry notes on opponents’ tendencies into shootouts. For kickers, the choice between placement and power, and whether to watch the keeper or pick a spot and commit, is one of the sport’s purest mental battles. At the 2026 World Cup, with 31 knockout matches and semi-automated officiating watching every line, the penalty spot will decide someone’s tournament, as it almost always does.
The Bottom Line
The penalty kick rules soccer applies boil down to a fair duel: keeper on his line, kicker without deception, everyone else out of the way, and a ball that stays live in open play but dies instantly in a shootout. Know those rules and you will understand every replay, every retake, and every referee’s decision when the biggest moments arrive. The complete Laws of the Game are maintained by IFAB and applied by FIFA, and for the other rule that decides knockout drama, see our offside rule explainer.
