Six leagues, one Constitution. Overview · All APL league constitutions
These laws follow the official laws of football as far as EA SPORTS FC applies them. The game's referee applies them in play. When a law asks for a decision the game cannot make, staff decide.
The pitch is the one the game provides. The goal, penalty area, goal area, centre circle, halfway line and corner areas are as in the official laws. The home club picks the stadium, and the pitch is never changed to help one side.
The match is played with the game's match ball. The ball is in play from kick-off until it goes out, a goal is scored, or the referee stops play. It is out of play when the whole ball crosses the touch line or goal line, on the ground or in the air.
Each side has up to 11 players on the pitch, one of whom is the goalkeeper, human or AI as set in Section 6. A match can start with fewer humans (9.6) and the game fills the rest.
Players use the game's kits. A player must not use a kit or customization that makes a team-mate and an opponent hard to tell apart, or one that hides the player. Staff can order a kit change.
The game's referee applies the laws. Players must accept the referee's decisions. A decision cannot be undone because a player thinks it was wrong. League staff can review serious incidents afterwards (Sections 15 and 21).
A match has two halves of equal length with a half-time break. The length is set in Section 10. The referee adds stoppage time as the game does. A match is over when the game ends the second half.
The match starts with a kick-off. Teams kick off at the start of each half, and after a goal is scored. The ball must be kicked and moving before it is in play, and opponents must stay in their own half until it is kicked. A goal can be scored directly from the kick-off.
After the ball goes out of play, play restarts with a throw-in, a goal kick or a corner kick as the laws say. After a stoppage by the referee, play restarts with a free kick, a penalty kick or a drop ball as the game decides.
A goal is scored when the whole ball passes over the goal line between the posts and under the crossbar, and no law has been broken by the scoring team. The team that scores more goals wins. If both score the same number, the match is a draw, except in knockout matches (Section 17).
A player is in an offside position if any part of his head, body or feet is nearer to the opponents' goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent when the ball is played to him by a team-mate. Being level with the second-last opponent is not offside, and arms and hands do not count. He is not offside from a goal kick, a throw-in or a corner kick, or in his own half. A player in an offside position is punished only if he becomes involved in active play. The offside setting is ON in all league matches.
A direct free kick or a penalty is given for kicking, tripping, jumping at, charging, striking, pushing, tackling or holding an opponent in a careless, reckless or excessive way, and for handling the ball deliberately (not by the goalkeeper in his own area). Careless is a foul with no card, reckless is a yellow card, excessive force is a red card.
Free kicks are direct (a goal can be scored directly) or indirect, as the game applies them. The ball must be still, and opponents must be at the required distance until the kick is taken. A free kick can be taken quickly. The game manages the wall and the distance.
A penalty is awarded when a defender commits a direct free-kick offence inside his own penalty area. The ball is placed on the penalty spot. All other players are outside the area and behind the spot, except the kicker and the goalkeeper. The kicker takes it once and may not touch the ball again until another player has touched it. The goalkeeper stays on the line until the ball is struck, as far as the game allows.
A throw-in is awarded to the opponents of the player who last touched the ball when it crosses the touch line. The ball is thrown or put in play from the point where it left the pitch. A goal cannot be scored directly from a throw-in.
A goal kick is awarded when the whole ball crosses the goal line, having last been touched by an attacker, and a goal is not scored. The kick is taken from the goal area. A goal can be scored directly against the opponents.
A corner kick is awarded when the whole ball crosses the goal line, having last been touched by a defender, and a goal is not scored. The kick is taken from the corner area on the side the ball left. A goal can be scored directly against the opponents.
The referee may let play go on after a foul if the fouled team has an advantage. The referee may stop play for a serious injury or for another reason the game allows. Players must not stop playing because they think a foul was committed until the referee blows.
Deliberate handball is a foul. The game applies the handball law as it sees fit. A goal scored from a handball by the scorer or by a team-mate in the build-up is judged by the game's referee. Staff do not overturn handball decisions unless a rule in Section 13 or 22 was broken.
EA SPORTS FC is a game and does not apply every law exactly. If the game lets something happen that would be a foul in real football and no league rule forbids it, the game's decision stands. Staff may add rules to handle a repeated problem.
Win by playing football. Anything that works only because of a bug, a glitch, an AI weakness or a control trick that the game was not designed for is an exploit. Using an exploit, or helping someone else use one, is not allowed.
The following are banned. Staff can add more and will announce them:
A player who finds a new glitch should tell staff and not use it. Staff will rule on it and may publish a ban. A player who used a glitch before it was ruled on is not punished for the earlier matches unless it was clearly abuse.
Deliberately delaying the match is not allowed, for example by pausing without reason, taking an unreasonable time over throw-ins, goal kicks and set pieces, or leaving the controller idle while leading. The pause menu may be used for connection problems, injuries to a real person, or an urgent personal matter, and the player must tell the other club why.
A club may defend with whatever shape it likes. Having players deliberately stand where they are not playing for long periods, for example leaving a controller idle while the player stays in a corner, is not allowed. Playing a player out of his line-up position for the whole match in a way that goes against the submitted line-up can be punished.
Deliberately losing a match, scoring own goals, or arranging a result is match fixing (Section 22). A club that cannot field a team should forfeit under Section 9.7 and not play to lose on purpose.
Excessive taunting, such as repeating a celebration to insult the opponent, is a conduct issue under Section 19, not a game rule, and the game's referee does not punish it.
Players must take restarts quickly enough that the match flows. A player who refuses to restart, or keeps the ball away from the taker, can be reported.
Leaving a match while it is in progress without a technical reason is unsporting. It is handled under Section 14.
The game's referee gives yellow and red cards. A yellow card is a caution. A red card sends the player off. Two yellow cards in one match are a red card.
A player sent off may not rejoin the match. The club plays on with one fewer player. A bench player cannot replace a player who was sent off.
A player sent off is suspended for his club's next league or tournament match. Staff can add more matches for violent conduct, serious foul play or abusive behaviour (see 15.5). The suspension applies to the player's club, not only to the competition he was sent off in.
A player who collects five yellow cards in a league season is suspended for one match. Clubs report the cards in the notes when they report the result, and staff keep the count and tell the GM. Yellow cards in tournaments do not count for league accumulation and are counted separately in each tournament, with two yellow cards in a tournament meaning a one-match suspension in that tournament.
Serious offences in a match go beyond the red card and may be punished further by staff under Section 21:
A suspended player's status is set to suspended, which stops him being picked in line-ups. He may attend training and talk to his club. A club that plays a suspended player breaches Section 22.
A club that wants staff to review an incident reports it within 24 hours of the confirmed result, with a clip or screenshot. Staff review it and decide whether to add a suspension.
A suspension follows the player, not the club. A player released while suspended is still suspended when he joins another club.
Cards and suspensions are not given for a match that is a forfeit.
A win is 3 points, a draw 1 point and a loss none. A forfeit counts as a 3-0 win for the other club.
The league table is ordered by points, then goal difference, then goals scored, then club name. If clubs are still level on the last day, staff decide the order by a play-off match or by head-to-head results, and will announce which.
Only confirmed and staff-entered results count. The table, goal difference and form column update as soon as a result is confirmed.
The power rating is a number for every club, built from every confirmed result in leagues and tournaments. Everyone starts at the same number. Beating a stronger club earns more than beating a weaker one, a draw moves the rating a little towards the weaker club, and bigger wins count for more.
The Power Rankings page lists all clubs across all leagues in rating order, so members can see who has the best team overall. Tournament matches between clubs of different leagues count for more, because they link the leagues together.
Staff may add a league adjustment to the clubs of one league when comparing leagues, for example if one league is clearly stronger before enough cross-league results exist. The adjustment is shown on the rankings page.
Clubs cannot change their rating except by playing matches. Staff change a rating only by fixing a wrong result.
The best clubs of each league by power rating are in position for the FIFA World Cup, as in Section 18. A club's position can change right up to the moment the draw is made.
A knockout match always has a winner. A level score at full time does not finish the match.
If the score is level at the end of normal time in a knockout match, the match goes to extra time if staff have it switched on for that competition. Extra time is played with the same settings as normal time and the same line-ups. A club may bring on bench players only as in Section 14.
If the score is still level, the winner is decided by a penalty shoot-out. Each club takes five kicks. If still level, the shoot-out continues one kick each until one club scores and the other does not (sudden death).
Only players on the pitch at the end of the match can take kicks, and each player takes one kick before anyone takes a second. Clubs choose the order they like within those limits.
With goalies ON, each club's own human goalkeeper plays in the shoot-out. With goalies OFF, the AI goalkeeper plays. A goalkeeper who leaves his line early is punished as the game decides.
The shoot-out score is reported with the match score. A knockout result of 1-1 is entered as 1-1 with the shoot-out score, for example 5-4. A match cannot be reported as level without a shoot-out winner.
Away goals do not count. Only goals scored in normal time and extra time and the shoot-out decide a match.
A club that forfeits a knockout match is out of the tournament. The other club advances and the result is recorded as a 3-0 win.
A knockout match that is replayed because of a technical problem (Section 14) is replayed in full, from 0-0, and still has a winner.
Besides the league seasons, the leagues play tournaments between clubs of every league. Two are always held: the FIFA World Cup and the Club World Cup. Staff can add other tournaments, and each one shows its own entry rule, size and format on its page.
A club does not play in a tournament unless it signs up. The GM (or AGM) signs the club up on the tournament page while sign-ups are open. A club that does not sign up before the deadline is not in the tournament.
The FIFA World Cup is for the best clubs of each league. Only the clubs ranked in the top number of their league by power rating (shown on the tournament page, four by default) may sign up. A club must still sign up to be in. The list of who is in position is on the Power Rankings page.
The Club World Cup is open to every club that signs up. There is no ranking test.
Each tournament has its own entry rule, from open entry to top-N-per-league. A league that staff mark as not eligible has no clubs in tournaments that use a ranking test.
Staff may add a club to a tournament outside the ranking rule. This is a wildcard and is shown next to the club's name.
Sign-ups close at the deadline or when staff make the draw, whichever comes first. A club can withdraw before the draw. After the draw a club that wants to leave must ask staff, and is treated under 18.12.
Staff make the draw. Clubs are seeded in order of power rating at the moment of the draw. The draw is not random: groups are made so the strongest clubs are spread across them.
In a group tournament, clubs are placed in groups of about four. Each club plays each other club in its group once. Points are 3 for a win, 1 for a draw and none for a loss. Groups are ordered by points, goal difference and goals scored.
A set number of clubs from each group move on (the top two by default). The knockout bracket is made automatically when every group match has a result. The group winners are seeded highest, then the runners-up, so the best clubs meet as late as possible. If the number of clubs left is not a power of two, the highest seeds get a bye into the next round.
Knockout rounds are single matches under Section 17. Each round creates the next one automatically when all its matches have results. The winner of the final is the champion and is shown on the tournament page.
A club that does not play a tournament match without a good reason forfeits it under 9.7. A club that withdraws after the draw loses its remaining matches by forfeit and may be sanctioned by staff.
Staff set a window for each round and the same procedure as in Section 9 applies. Results are reported and confirmed as in Section 11, and the player line-up for a tournament match is the club's submitted line-up for the current matchday unless staff say otherwise.
Tournament matches count in the power rating. Matches between clubs of different leagues count extra.
A suspended player cannot play in a tournament match. A red card in a tournament match carries over under 15.3.
Treat everyone with respect: players, GMs, staff and opponents. Competitive banter is fine. Abuse is not.
The same rules apply to voice chat in a lobby, to party chat, to private messages and to forum posts. A clip of voice chat or a screenshot of a message is acceptable evidence.
Players may disagree with a decision and may appeal it (Section 21). Public abuse of staff or the referee is a conduct offence.
Forum posts about the league must stay on topic and civil. Staff may remove posts and sanction members for breaking the forum rules.
Members should save evidence of conduct problems straight away. Staff cannot act on reports that have no evidence unless the matter is serious and clear.
Depending on the offence, staff may:
Staff should tell the person what they are accused of and ask for their side before a serious sanction, unless there is an urgent safety reason not to. The sanction and the reason are recorded in the audit log.
Staff decide using clips, screenshots, messages, match records, the audit log and statements. They decide what is more likely than not.
Repeated offences are punished more heavily. Staff may consider an earlier warning or suspension when deciding a sanction.
A member can appeal a sanction to a different staff member within 48 hours of being told about it. The appeal must say why the decision was wrong and include any new evidence. The staff member hearing the appeal was not involved in the first decision when possible.
Unless staff say so, a sanction applies while an appeal is considered. If the appeal succeeds, the sanction is removed and any lost points or match records are corrected.
A decision on appeal is final.
A club can be sanctioned for the actions of its GM and players when the GM knew about them or allowed them.
Cheating includes using any hack, mod, script or macro, using third-party software to get an advantage, modified controllers or hardware that automate inputs, and any device that gives an unfair edge in a match.
You may not let someone else play on your account, nor may you play as someone else, nor may anyone play in a line-up spot that is signed to another member. A member caught doing so can be banned.
Playing a player who is not signed to the club, is suspended or is not on the submitted line-up is an illegal-player breach. Staff can give the match to the other club as a 3-0 forfeit and sanction the club.
Agreeing a result, giving away points, throwing matches or agreeing to share results to help a club into a tournament is match fixing. Both clubs and everyone involved can be sanctioned.
Giving staff false information, editing or faking screenshots, or lying about a technical problem is a serious offence.
Members may not run betting pools or take wagers on the outcome of league matches that involve real money. The league is free to play.
Report suspected cheating to staff privately with evidence and do not accuse people in public. Making an accusation without evidence is a conduct issue.
Staff may ask a player to show his game setup, his controller or a recording to settle a cheating accusation. A player who refuses may be treated as guilty of the thing he was asked about.
Members may stream or record league matches. If a club wants to stream the other club's players' voice chat it must warn them first.
A live stream of a match where a player is on the pitch should have a delay of at least two minutes so opponents cannot use it for information.
Highlights, clips and results from league matches may be shared on social media. Staff may ask for content to be taken down if it breaks the conduct rules.
Club names are real-world names used for the game only. The leagues are not connected to or endorsed by real clubs or competitions. Do not use league branding to claim any official link with real clubs.