3v3 Tournament Rules

Format

Teams are grouped into divisions by age. Within each division, every team plays a set number of pool games, then teams are ranked first to last. The top four in each division advance to a Semifinal, then a Final, with a separate 3rd-place game.

Teams that do not reach the semifinals play a shorter consolation game first, right after pool play, so most of those teams get a third game and finish early. If a division has an odd number of teams left out, the last-place team finishes with its pool games. The semifinals follow, and each division's final and 3rd-place game play at the end, at the same time.

Pool games may end in a tie. Playoff games (semifinals, final, 3rd place) cannot end in a tie and are decided by kicks from the mark if level after regulation (see Tiebreakers).

Teams and players

• Three players per team on the field at a time. There are no goalkeepers.
• Each team has 3 to 5 players on its roster. Three take the field; the rest are substitutes.
• Substitutions are made on the fly. A substitute enters only after their teammate has left the field.
• A player may play on only one team per age division.
• Every player must have a signed waiver to check in and play.

Game length

Pool games, semifinals, and finals are 25 minutes on a running clock. Consolation games and the 3rd-place game are shorter, 15 minutes, to keep the day moving. A tournament official keeps the official time, or the teams track it together. The home team, or a coin toss, starts with the kickoff. Please be at your field and ready to play at your scheduled time. A team more than five minutes late may forfeit, as decided by tournament staff.

The crease (goal box)

There is a small crease directly in front of each goal. No player, offense or defense, may touch the ball while inside the crease. Any part of the ball or a player's body on the line is considered inside.

• If a defender touches the ball in the crease, a goal is awarded to the attacking team.
• If an attacker touches the ball in the crease, a goal kick is awarded to the defending team (no goal counts).
• Players may run through the crease as long as they do not play the ball while inside it.
• If the ball comes to rest in the crease, it is a goal kick regardless of who touched it last.

Restarts: kick-in and go

All restarts are kick-ins, not throw-ins. Play restarts quickly, so keep moving.

• Kick-ins, kickoffs, free kicks, and goal kicks are indirect: another player must touch the ball before a goal can count. You cannot score directly from these.
• Only penalty kicks are direct.
• Five-yard rule: on any dead-ball restart, defenders must give five yards. If the spot is within five yards of the crease, the ball is moved out to five yards in line with play.
• Goal kicks may be taken from anywhere on the end line.

Scoring

A goal counts only if the ball was last touched (by either team) in the shooting team's offensive half, with the ball fully over the midline. A shot struck from your own half does not count unless it deflects off another player in the offensive half before going in. A ball played from the defensive half that goes in untouched results in a goal kick for the defense.

Fouls and conduct (self-officiated)

There are no assigned referees. Players call their own fouls honestly and settle disagreements quickly so play keeps moving. If two teams cannot agree, replay the moment with a drop ball or restart from where the ball was.

• No slide tackling. Sliding to save a ball is allowed only if there is no contact with an opponent. Any contact from a slide is a foul.
• There is no offside.
• A penalty kick is awarded, by agreement, when a clear scoring chance is stopped by a foul or a deliberate handball.
• Penalty kicks are taken from the center of the midline with all players behind the midline. If no goal is scored, the defense restarts with a goal kick.
• Compete hard, but keep it friendly and safe. Ease up when a game gets lopsided. Tournament staff may step in for repeated unsportsmanlike play.

Standings and tiebreakers

Pool results earn points: a win is 3 points, a tie is 1 point, and a loss is 0 points. Teams are ranked by total points. When two or more teams are tied on points, ties are broken in this order:

1. Head-to-head result between the tied teams (when exactly two teams are tied and they played each other).
2. Goal differential (goals scored minus goals allowed) in pool play.
3. Fewest goals allowed in pool play.
4. Most goals scored in pool play.
5. Kicks from the mark (a penalty-kick shootout) or a coin toss if teams cannot be separated.

Our live standings apply points first, then goal differential, then head-to-head, then fewest goals allowed, then most goals scored. If teams are still level, a coin toss or kicks from the mark decides seeding.

Playoff ties: if a semifinal, final, or 3rd-place game is level after 25 minutes, it goes straight to kicks from the mark. Each team takes three kicks (taken by the three players on the field at the final whistle). If still tied, the same players continue in sudden death until one team scores unanswered.