In short
The answer first
A throw-in is awarded to the opponents of the player who last touched the ball before the whole ball crossed a touchline. The thrower uses both hands, delivers the ball from behind and over the head, faces the field and keeps part of each foot on the touchline or on the ground outside it.
Key takeaways
The whole ball must cross the touchline for the ball to be out.
The throw is taken from the point where the ball left the field.
Opponents must stand at least two metres from the point of the throw.
A goal cannot be scored directly from a throw-in.
The 2026/27 Laws include a five-second countdown protocol when a team unfairly delays taking a throw-in.
The legal throwing action
At the moment of delivery, the thrower faces the field and has part of each foot on the touchline or on the ground outside the line. The ball is thrown with both hands from behind and over the head from the place where it left the field.
A throw that does not follow the required procedure is normally awarded to the opposing team. The referee is judging the action at delivery rather than demanding a particular run-up, style or throwing distance.
What can happen directly from a throw-in
The thrower cannot score a goal directly from the restart. If the ball goes directly into the opponents' goal, play restarts with a goal kick. If it goes directly into the thrower's own goal, the opponents receive a corner kick.
The thrower also cannot touch the ball again until another player has touched it. A second touch normally produces an indirect free kick, with handball provisions applying if the second touch itself is a handball offence.
Opponent distance and goalkeeper restrictions
Opponents must respect the two-metre distance from the point where the throw is taken. Unfair distraction or obstruction can be misconduct. Once the ball enters the field, it is live and can be challenged for normally.
A goalkeeper cannot receive a throw-in directly from a team-mate and then handle it inside their own penalty area. That goalkeeper restriction is one reason the familiar phrase 'back-pass rule' is broader than deliberate kicks alone.
The 2026/27 delay countdown
The current Laws include a visible five-second countdown when the referee judges that the team taking a throw-in is unfairly delaying the restart. If the countdown expires before the throw is taken, the throw-in is awarded to the opposing team.
The countdown is a response to unfair delay, not an automatic stopwatch that begins after every ball crosses the line. That distinction matters when interpreting the protocol during a match.
Source check
Sources and further reading
KickVerse uses primary governing-body material where a rule or competition format has an official source. Analysis terms can vary between data providers, so provider-specific definitions are identified rather than presented as universal laws.
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