how many subs can you make in football
You can usually make five substitutions in modern 11‑a‑side football, but there are some important details and exceptions.
Quick Scoop
- In most top professional competitions today, each team can use up to five subs in a 90‑minute match.
- Those five changes must normally be made in three “windows” during play (plus at half‑time, which doesn’t count as a window).
- Many competitions allow one extra sub in extra time, so you can go up to six in a 120‑minute match.
- Some tournaments or domestic rules also allow an additional substitution specifically for suspected concussion.
- In friendlies and lower/amateur leagues, the number can be higher or even unlimited, depending on competition rules.
What the official laws say
Under the IFAB Laws of the Game (which FIFA and national FAs follow), competitions can allow up to five substitutes per team in an official match.
Key points:
- Competition organisers (FIFA, confederation, or FA) decide if it’s 3, 4, or 5 subs, up to that maximum of five.
- Since 2022 the five‑sub rule has been made permanent in the Laws for top‑level competitions, after being introduced during COVID.
- In many tournaments, a sixth sub is allowed in extra time, regardless of whether all five were used in normal time.
Think of it like this: the global law sets an upper limit (five), and each league or tournament chooses where under that ceiling they want to be.
How many subs in different situations?
Here’s a quick table to make it clearer (typical modern setup):
| Type of match/competition | How many subs can you use? | Extra time rule |
|---|---|---|
| Top professional leagues (e.g. Premier League, major European leagues) | Usually up to 5 players can be substituted per team. | [8][9][1][6][7]Often 1 extra sub allowed in extra time (so up to 6), if competition rules permit. | [2][7]
| World Cup & major international tournaments | Up to 5 subs in normal time. | [9][7][2]Typically 1 extra sub in extra time. | [7][2]
| Senior “A” international friendlies | Up to 6 subs allowed by law. | [5][2]Extra‑time rules depend on the competition or match agreement. | [2][5]
| Lower‑level / amateur / social leagues | Often more than 5, sometimes unlimited rolling subs, depending on local rules. | [4][5][7][2]Varies; many use rolling substitutions for the entire game. | [4][5][7][2]
| Youth / small‑sided formats (5v5, 7v7, etc.) | Frequently unlimited rolling subs within a set squad size. | [4][5]Same as normal time; players can go on and off repeatedly. | [5][4]
| Competitions trialling concussion subs | Normal limit (e.g. 5) plus 1 extra for suspected concussion. | [3][9][7]Concussion subs are additional; they don’t usually count against normal limits. | [9][3]
Why five subs became the norm
Originally, football allowed no substitutions at all; then it moved to two, then three, which stayed the standard for decades.
During the COVID‑19 period, fixture congestion and player‑welfare concerns pushed authorities to temporarily allow five subs so squads could handle the intense schedule.
This “temporary” fix worked so well in elite football that IFAB later made the option permanent in the Laws, and most major competitions chose to keep five subs.
Some fans and smaller clubs argue that five subs favour big teams with deeper benches, while others point out that it protects players and improves game intensity.
Practical example
Imagine a standard league match in 2026:
- Your team starts with 11 players and a bench of 9 substitutes.
- You can replace up to 5 of those 11 across the 90 minutes.
- You must use your subs within 3 stoppages in play (plus half‑time), so you might double‑ or triple‑sub to save windows.
- If the game goes to extra time and the competition allows it, you gain a 6th sub.
So if someone asks, “how many subs can you make in football?” the most accurate short answer for today’s top‑level game is:
Up to five substitutions in normal time, usually with a possible sixth in extra time, but it always depends on the specific competition’s rules.
TL;DR: In modern football, you can normally make five subs per team in a match, sometimes six with extra time or concussion rules, but friendlies and lower leagues might allow even more.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.