What is a flagrant foul, and when does it disqualify a player?

Since 1 October 2026 the flagrant foul (Art. 38) replaces the old unsportsmanlike foul for serious contact. It is a player's illegal contact that violates the spirit of sportsmanship and fair play and, by its nature or severity, exceeds the limits of a personal or disruptive foul. The criteria are:

• Not a legitimate basketball play against an opponent, with or without a ball.
• A reckless, violent or dangerous act that causes or may cause injury to an opponent.
• Excessive, hard contact in an effort to play the ball or an opponent.

Referees must interpret flagrant fouls consistently throughout the game and judge only the action.

Penalty: charged against the offender and counted as a team foul. Free throw(s) go to the fouled player (2 if not shooting; the goal plus 1 if shooting and successful; 2 or 3 if shooting and unsuccessful), then a throw-in from the throw-in line in the team's frontcourt, opposite the scorer's table.

Disqualification: a player is disqualified when charged with two flagrant fouls, two category 1 technical fouls, or one flagrant foul and one category 1 technical foul.

Source: FIBA Official Basketball Rules 2026, Article 38 (https://assets.fiba.basketball/image/upload/documents-corporate-fiba-official-rules-2026-v1-1.pdf)