Playing basketball in a game situation under the FIBA rules 2026

25 min

New rules this season

From 1 October 2026 every basketball game in the world played under FIBA rules uses the Official Basketball Rules 2026. The biggest change is to fouls: the old "unsportsmanlike foul" has gone, replaced by two new fouls, disruptive and flagrant. In this lesson you play full games in a game situation: each team follows the coach's instructions, a pupil referees, another keeps the score sheet, and everyone applies the 2026 rules.

Definition

Disruptive foul (FIBA 2026): illegal contact that is not a genuine attempt to play the ball and is used to stop a fast break, to stop the clock at the end of a period, or from behind or the side on a player with no defender between him and the basket.

Flagrant foul (FIBA 2026): illegal contact that goes against fair play and is not a legitimate basketball action, or is reckless, violent or dangerous, or is excessively hard.

Team foul penalty: after a team commits 4 team fouls in a quarter, every further defensive personal foul gives the opponents 2 free throws.

The court

Rules for game play

Rule	FIBA Official Basketball Rules 2026
Teams and time	5 players on court; 4 quarters of 10 minutes; school games may agree shorter quarters.
Shot clock	24 seconds to shoot; reset to 14 seconds in some frontcourt situations, for example after the ball touches the ring and the attacking team gets it back.
Time limits	8 seconds to bring the ball into the frontcourt; 5 seconds to pass, shoot or dribble when closely guarded; no more than 3 seconds in the opponents' restricted area.
Personal fouls	A player with 5 fouls must leave the game.
Team fouls	From the 5th team foul in a quarter, a defensive personal foul gives 2 free throws.
Disruptive and flagrant fouls	Both give free throws (2 if the player was not shooting) and then possession with a throw-in from the frontcourt throw-in line. Two flagrant fouls, two category 1 technical fouls, or one of each, disqualify a player.
Technical fouls	Now two types: category 1 (for example disrespect to officials, taunting, faking being fouled) counts towards disqualification; category 2 (for example delaying the game, hanging on the ring) does not.
Time-outs	2 in the first half; 3 in the second half, no more than 2 of them in the last 2 minutes of the fourth quarter; 1 in each overtime.

Carrying out the game plan

Before the game: the coach names the starting five, the defence (for example man-to-man with help, or a 2-3 zone) and two attacking instructions ("run the fast break after every defensive rebound", "pick-and-roll for our point guard").
During the game: the point guard calls the plays; everyone talks on defence; substitutes enter only at a dead ball, after reporting to the scorer.
Time-outs: used to stop an opponents' scoring run, to set up a play, or to rest key players.
Officials: the referee signals the foul and the player's number to the scorer; the scorer records each foul against the player and the team.

Video: "Tips, Skills, and Drills: Attacking the Basket", USA Basketball. Use it before the class game: notice how the player reads the defender before choosing a lay-up, a pass or a pull-up shot.

Worked example

Worked example: free throws or a throw-in? It is the third quarter. Team Inyange has already committed 4 team fouls in this quarter. Its defender now commits a personal foul on an attacker who is dribbling, not shooting.

Team Inyange has 4 team fouls, so it is in the team foul penalty situation.
This personal foul is its 5th team foul in the quarter, and the attacker was not shooting.
Result: the fouled player takes 2 free throws instead of his team getting a throw-in.

If the same contact had been a deliberate grab from behind on a breakaway, it would be a disruptive foul: 2 free throws and the ball afterwards.

Tip

Count the team fouls. The scorer shows a red marker when a team reaches 4 fouls in a quarter. From then on, defenders must avoid reaching in, because every foul sends the opponents to the free-throw line.

Warning

Fair play and safety. Faking being fouled is now a category 1 technical foul. Contact with the head or neck, or moving under a player in the air, risks a flagrant foul and serious injury. Remove jewellery, tie long hair back, and stop the game at once for a head injury.

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Practice

Give the length and width of a FIBA court and the radius of the 3-point arc.
How long does a team have to shoot, and to bring the ball into the frontcourt?
Which foul did the FIBA 2026 rules remove, and which two fouls replaced it?
A defender grabs an attacker from behind on a breakaway with no one between the attacker and the basket. Name the foul and the penalty.
A player has one flagrant foul and then commits a category 1 technical foul. What happens?
Team A has committed 3 team fouls in the second quarter. Its player fouls a dribbling attacker. Free throws or a throw-in? Explain.
A player hangs on the ring after a dunk to show off. Which category of technical foul is it, and does it count towards disqualification?
Your team leads by 4 points with 1 minute left and the opponents are pressing. Which two instructions would you give at your time-out?

Show answersHide answers

28 m by 15 m; 6.75 m.
24 seconds to shoot; 8 seconds to reach the frontcourt.
The unsportsmanlike foul; it was replaced by the disruptive foul and the flagrant foul.
A disruptive foul: 2 free throws, then a throw-in for the fouled team from the frontcourt throw-in line.
He is disqualified: one flagrant foul and one category 1 technical foul lead to disqualification.
A throw-in: this is only Team A's 4th team foul; free throws start from the 5th.
Category 2 (hanging on the ring, other than momentarily after a dunk or to avoid injury); it does not count towards disqualification.
Example: on attack, keep two guards back to receive against the press and get the ball to the best free-throw shooter; on defence, stay in front of your attackers without fouling, so the opponents must score twice to catch up.

Remember

Court 28 m × 15 m; 3-point arc 6.75 m; free-throw line 5.80 m; ring 3.05 m.
24 and 14 seconds; 8 seconds; 5 seconds closely guarded; 3 seconds in the restricted area.
2026: disruptive and flagrant fouls replace the unsportsmanlike foul; technical fouls are category 1 or 2.
5 personal fouls and you are out; from the 5th team foul in a quarter, 2 free throws.

1New rules this season

2The court

3Rules for game play

4Carrying out the game plan

New rules this season

The court

Rules for game play

Carrying out the game plan