How many players are in a handball team, and how do substitutions work?
I · Intermediate · The game · 1 of 6A team has up to 16 players, with at most seven on the court at once. Substitutes may come on at any time and as often as they like, without telling the officials, but only over their own team's substitution line and only after the player they replace has left. Getting it wrong costs a two-minute suspension.
How it works
- Sixteen and seven: "A team consists of up to 16 players. No more than 7 players may be present on the court at the same time."
- To start: at least five players must be on the court.
- One goalkeeper: only one player on the court may be identified as goalkeeper at a time.
- Or none: a team may play without a goalkeeper, with seven court players.
- Free substitution: substitutes may enter "at any time and repeatedly", without notifying the timekeeper or scorekeeper.
- Off before on: the player being replaced must already have left the court.
- The line: both players cross their own team's substitution line, a stretch of the side line 4.5 metres long from the centre line.
- A faulty substitution: "a 2-minute suspension for the guilty player", and a free throw to the opponents.
- An extra player: coming on without a substitution also costs two minutes, and the team plays one short.
- Officials: at most five team officials. One is the responsible team official, the only one who may address the table.
- Shirts: court players in identical kit. Goalkeepers in a colour different from every court player and from the other goalkeeper.
- Blood: a bleeding player must leave at once and may not return until it is dealt with.
The glossary has the team, the substitution line, the faulty substitution, the playing without a goalkeeper entry, the responsible team official and the two-minute suspension.
Tricky cases
A substitute steps on a moment before the team-mate has stepped off. What happens?
A faulty substitution: two minutes for the guilty player and a free throw to the other team.
A team takes off its goalkeeper for a seventh court player. Is that allowed?
Yes. A team may play without a goalkeeper, with up to seven court players. None of them may then enter the goal area.
A player steps over the side line by the bench to grab a towel. Is that a faulty substitution?
No. The rule is not meant to punish a harmless step over the line with no intention of gaining an advantage.
A team is down to four players through suspensions and injuries. Is the match abandoned?
Not automatically. The game may continue with fewer than five, and the referees judge whether it should be ended.
Why the rule exists
Handball is played at a sprint, and free substitution lets teams keep it that way: many swap specialist attackers and defenders every time the ball changes hands. With no official controlling the changes, the line and the off-before-on rule are what stop a team slipping an eighth player on.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| IHF rules | Up to 16 players and 5 officials | IHF 4:1; IHF 4:2 |
| Federations and confederations | May set other numbers, never more than 16 players | IHF 4:1, note |
| A free throw after the final signal | Only one substitution allowed for the attacking team | IHF 2:5 |
| After treatment on court | The player must sit out three of their team's attacks | IHF 4:11 |
From the rule book
International Handball Federation, Rules of the Game: Indoor Handball (1 July 2025), Rules 1:10 and 4. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: IX. Rules of the Game, a) Indoor Handball (PDF).