Who gets the ball at a dropped ball?

Under Law 8 (2026-27):

• Ball inside the penalty area when play stopped: drop it for the defending goalkeeper in their penalty area.
• Ball outside the penalty area: drop it for one player of the team that would have retained or gained possession had play not been stopped, including from a restart if the ball would have gone out of play. If you can't determine that, drop it for a player of the team that last touched the ball.
• Drop it where the ball was when play stopped. If it hit a match official or outside agent, drop it at the point of contact instead.
• All other players, from both teams, stay at least 4 m (4.5 yd) away until the ball is in play.
• The ball is in play when it touches the ground. Drop it again if it touches a player before hitting the ground, or leaves the field after hitting the ground without touching a player.
• If a dropped ball goes into a goal without touching at least two players, restart with a goal kick (opponents' goal) or a corner kick (the team's own goal).

New for 2026-27: the Law now makes clear that the ball goes to the team that would have gained or kept possession.