Water polo rules rules, for watching
Start with the rules you see all the time, then the ones that change results.
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- How big is a water polo pool, and can the players touch the bottom?
- How many players are in a water polo team, and what do the cap colours mean?
- How do water polo players swap in and out while the game is going on?
- How long is a water polo match?
- How long can a water polo team keep the ball before it has to shoot?
- How many timeouts does a water polo team get, and who can call one?
- How does a water polo period start, and what happens after a goal?
- When does a goal count in water polo, and can you score with any part of the body?
- What happens if a water polo match ends level?
- What are the everyday fouls in water polo, and what do they cost?
- Is there an offside rule in water polo?
- Why do water polo players keep getting sent to the corner?
- What gets a water polo player thrown out of the game for good?
- When does a foul become a penalty in water polo?
- How many fouls can a water polo player have before they are out?
- What happens after the whistle for a foul in water polo?
- Who gets the ball when it goes out behind the goal in water polo?
- What does the referee do when nobody is entitled to the ball?
- How is a penalty taken in water polo?
- Why does a water polo referee sometimes see a foul and not blow the whistle?
- What can be checked on video in water polo, and can a coach ask for it?
- What happens when a water polo player is hurt or bleeding?
Where these rules come from
| Tag | Document |
|---|---|
| WP plus article number | World Aquatics, Competition Regulations, Part Six: Water Polo Rules, in force as from 1 January 2025. Read in full for this set: Articles 1 to 18 (field and equipment, teams, officials, duration, timeouts, start and restart, scoring, ordinary, exclusion and penalty fouls, the five throws, personal fouls and cards, injury, facilities) |
| WP Appendix plus number | The same Part: Appendix 3 (definitions), Appendix 4 (goals, ball, caps; articles 20.4.2 to 20.4.5), Appendix 6 (penalty shoot-out), Appendix 7 (VAR protocol: principles and the list of reviewable situations), Appendix 9 (points and tie-breaking only), Appendix 10 (coach's challenge) |
| R | "Why the rule exists", or a point reasoned from the rule, not stated in it |
| C | Common usage or general knowledge, not a rule |
All checked on 14 October 2026. The file is a text PDF with article numbers in the text layer.
The edition is from January 2025. The swimming part of the same regulations has a February 2026 edition, so the water polo part may have been revised as well. The newer text is not saved.
Not covered: beach water polo (Article 19, apart from its field size); Appendices 1 and 2 (diagrams), 5 (officials' duties), 8 and the tournament formats in Appendix 9; the step-by-step procedures in Appendix 7; masters water polo.
Not covered: beach water polo (Article 19, apart from its field size); Appendices 1 and 2 (diagrams), 5 (officials' duties), 8 and the tournament formats in Appendix 9; the step-by-step procedures in Appendix 7; masters water polo.