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Game formats and guidelines
The Swedish FA's national game formats set how children's and youth football is played across the country: how many on the pitch, how big the pitch is, which ball, for how long, and which rules differ from the adult game. Here are the figures per format (2025 edition) together with the guidelines everything rests on. Your district may apply its own variations, so check the district's page when something differs, and the full rules are published by the FA.
13 v 3, ages 6-7
- On the pitch
- 3 per team, no goalkeeper
- Substitutes
- 3 per team (recommended)
- Pitch
- 15 × 10-12 m, preferably with boards
- Goal
- max 1.6 × 1.15 m (recommended 1.5 × 1 m)
- Ball
- size 3, 280-310 g
- Playing time
- 4 × 3 min, festivals of 2-4 matches
Equal playing time for everyone.
Free substitutions, preferably at the breaks.
Every set piece starts by dribbling or passing the ball along the ground, and you cannot score directly from one.
Opponents keep at least 3 m away.
No yellow or red cards: it is the coaches' job to substitute a player who plays recklessly or behaves badly.25 v 5, ages 8-9
- On the pitch
- 4 outfield players + goalkeeper
- Substitutes
- 4 per team (recommended)
- Pitch
- 30 × 15-20 m, no penalty area
- Goal
- 3 × 1.5 m (some districts allow 3 × 2 m)
- Ball
- size 3, 280-310 g
- Playing time
- 3 × 10 min at festivals, 3 × 15 min for a single match
Equal playing time for everyone.
Free substitutions, preferably at the breaks.
Retreat line: whenever the goalkeeper has the ball in hand, after a save or when play restarts from the keeper, the other team drops back to its own half and stays there until the ball has left the keeper's hands.
The keeper may handle the ball up to about 5 m from the posts; there are no penalty kicks.
Set pieces start along the ground, no direct goals from them, 5 m distance.
No cards, the coaches substitute.37 v 7, ages 10-12
- On the pitch
- 6 outfield players + goalkeeper
- Substitutes
- 3 per team (recommended)
- Pitch
- 50-55 × 30-35 m, penalty area 19 × 7 m
- Small
- ages 10-11, 50 × 30 m (how the districts split the range)
- Large
- age 12, 55 × 35 m
- Retreat line
- 7 m from the halfway line
- Goal
- max 5 × 2 m
- Ball
- size 4, 350-390 g
- Playing time
- 3 × 20 min for a single match, 3 × 15 min at festivals
Everyone plays at least two thirds of the match, i.e. two of the three periods.
Free substitutions, preferably at the breaks.
Retreat line: whenever the goalkeeper has the ball in hand, after a save or at a restart from the keeper, the other team drops back behind the line and stays there until the ball has left the keeper's hands.
The keeper may put the ball down and pass it out, but not kick or volley it out.
At free kicks every player stays at least 2 m from the opposing goalkeeper.
Cards are given only for deliberately reckless or dangerous play and for misconduct; in unintentional situations the referee talks to the player instead.49 v 9, ages 13-14
- On the pitch
- 8 outfield players + goalkeeper
- Substitutes
- 4 per team (recommended)
- Pitch
- 65-72 × 50-55 m, penalty area 24 × 9 m
- Small
- age 13, 65 × 50 m (how the districts split the range)
- Large
- age 14, 72 × 55 m; in Stockholm the home team picks the size for under-13 matches since 2025
- Goal
- 6 × 2.2 m (some districts allow 7-a-side or 11-a-side goals)
- Ball
- size 4 at 13 (350-390 g), size 5 at 14 (410-450 g)
- Playing time
- 3 × 25 min
Everyone plays at least two thirds of the match, two of three periods.
Free substitutions, at the breaks.
Offside arrives here: a player nearer the opponents' goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent when the ball is played is in an offside position, in the attacking half and when involved in play.
Goal kicks are taken from anywhere in the penalty area with the ball still, opponents at least 9 m away.
Otherwise the adult rules largely apply.511 v 11, ages 15 and up
- On the pitch
- 10 outfield players + goalkeeper
- Substitutes
- 3-5 per team (recommended)
- Pitch
- 100-110 × 60-68 m (recommended 105 × 65 m), penalty area 40.32 × 16.5 m
- Goal
- 7.32 × 2.44 m
- Ball
- size 5, 410-450 g
- Playing time
- age 15: 2 × 40 min. Age 16 and up: 2 × 45 min
Everyone plays at least half the match.
The adult rules apply, except the playing time for 15-year-olds.
Free substitutions: unlimited, a substituted player may come back on, outfield players change during play while goalkeepers change only at a stoppage.6The four-goal rule and no league tables
In 3 v 3, 5 v 5 and 7 v 7, a team that is four or more goals down may add an extra player until the score is level again.
The trailing team decides whether to use the rule.
The idea is to keep the match as even as possible so both teams get to practise both attacking and defending.
The rule works because there are no tables: since 2018 no league tables are kept up to and including age 12.
The match has a score, but it is not totted up against other teams.7Playing time for everyone
The recommendation follows the format: equal playing time for everyone in 3 v 3 and 5 v 5, at least two of three periods in 7 v 7 and 9 v 9, at least half the match in 11 v 11.
That is also why children's football is played in three periods: substituting at the breaks makes it easy to give everyone their time.
Live match in the app counts each player's minutes during the match and saves them on the player, so by half time you already see who needs more.8Football's play, fun and learn
The guidelines behind all Swedish children's and youth football are called Fotbollens spela, lek och lär (football's play, fun and learn), and the five points are:
Football for everyone
On children's and young people's terms
Focus on joy, effort and learning
Sustainable sport
Fair play
The FA writes that football is an inclusive sport where everyone is welcome and takes part on equal terms regardless of how far they have come, that groups in children's football are mixed so that players at different levels play together, and that youth football adapts to each player's own interest.
How we read it for you coaching children: everyone plays, teams are mixed rather than stacked, the match is one more training session rather than a result to chase, and the one who trains most does not automatically get the most.
The full material is on the FA's site, linked below.