When does a goal count in handball?
B · Beginner · The game · 3 of 8When the whole ball has completely crossed the goal line between the posts and under the crossbar, provided the thrower, a team-mate or a team official has not broken a rule. A goal can be scored directly from any throw. It stands once the referee has whistled for the throw-off that follows.
How it works
- The line: "A goal is scored when the entire ball has completely crossed the goal line".
- No offence: provided "no violation of the rules has been committed by the thrower, a teammate or a team official before or during the throw".
- A defender's foul: if the ball still goes in, the goal is awarded.
- After a whistle: no goal if a referee, the timekeeper or a delegate interrupted play before the ball crossed the line.
- Own goals: a goal to the opponents if a player plays the ball into their own goal.
- The one exception: a goalkeeper cannot score an own goal directly from a goalkeeper throw.
- Outside interference: if a spectator or object stops a ball that the referees are convinced was going in, the goal is awarded.
- Final: a goal "can no longer be disallowed, once the referee has blown the whistle for the subsequent throw-off".
- From any throw: a goal may be scored directly from a throw-off, throw-in, free throw, goalkeeper throw or 7-metre throw.
- The winner: the team with more goals. Equal scores are a tie.
The glossary has the goal, the shot, the goal line and outer goal line entry, the throw-off, the goalkeeper throw and the referee.
Tricky cases
A goalkeeper throws the ball the length of the court into the empty goal. Does it count?
Yes. A goal may be scored directly from any throw, including a goalkeeper throw.
The ball is going in and a defender standing inside the goal area knocks it away. Is it a goal?
No. The ball did not cross the line. The attacking team has a 7-metre throw, and the defender is suspended for two minutes if the goal was empty.
The timekeeper whistles for a time-out a moment before the ball crosses the line. Does the goal stand?
No. Any action after a whistle from the table is invalid, and the goal must be disallowed.
The referees realise after the throw-off whistle that the scorer took four steps. Can they cancel the goal?
No. Once the whistle for the throw-off has been blown, the goal can no longer be disallowed.
Why the rule exists
A goal needs a clear line in both senses: the whole ball over it, so that a save on the line is a save. It also needs a point after which it cannot be taken back. Awarding the goal despite a defender's foul is advantage in its plainest form. The defending team gains nothing by fouling a shot that scores.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Goal line | 8 cm wide between the posts | IHF 1:3 |
| Goal at the end of a half | The referees must make clear it was awarded, with no throw-off | IHF 9:2 |
| Own goal from a goalkeeper throw | Not possible directly | IHF 15:2 |
| A whistle from the table | Stops play at once, and a goal after it is invalid | IHF 2:9, comment |
From the rule book
International Handball Federation, Rules of the Game: Indoor Handball (1 July 2025), Rules 9 and 15:2. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: IX. Rules of the Game, a) Indoor Handball (PDF).