When does a player or head coach reach the foul limit or a game disqualification?
Rule- Canada
- Canada Basketball
- FIBA rules
- NOCP
- 2026-27
- Referees
Under the FIBA Official Basketball Rules 2026 (Articles 41 and 42):
- Player with 5 fouls: a referee informs the player, who must leave the game immediately. A head coach who has 5 fouls as a player is an excluded player but may continue as head coach. A foul by an excluded player is charged and entered on the scoresheet against the head coach ('B').
- Player game disqualification: two category 1 technical fouls, two flagrant fouls, or one flagrant plus one category 1 technical foul. The timer raises the game disqualification (GD) marker.
- Head coach game disqualification: two technical fouls ('C') for the coach's own personal unsportsmanlike behaviour, or three technical fouls (all 'B' or 'BD', or one of them 'C') from the behaviour of other people on the bench.
- A disqualified person must leave within 30 seconds and stay in the team's dressing room for the rest of the game or leave the building.
- Team fouls: a team is in the penalty situation after 4 team fouls in a quarter. Later player personal fouls on a player not in the act of shooting are 2 free throws, but a personal foul by the team in control of the ball (or entitled to it) is a throw-in for the opponents.
Added 25 Oct 2026