Table Official's Guide to Canada Basketball FIBA Rules All Ages 2026-27

Scorer (Article 49.1): is provided with the scoresheet and keeps a record of:

• Teams: the players who start and all substitutes who enter. If there is an infraction regarding the 5 starters, substitutions or player numbers, the nearest referee must be notified immediately.
• Running score: goals and free throws made.
• Fouls: fouls charged against each player and each head coach.
• Time-outs: the scorer must notify the head coach, through a referee, when no time-outs are left in a half or overtime.
• Alternating possession: operates the alternating possession arrow, and reverses its direction immediately after the end of the first half because teams exchange baskets.
• Head coach's challenge: records each team's challenge granted, and notifies the nearest referee immediately when a head coach erroneously requests a second challenge.

Assistant scorer (Article 49.2): operates the scoreboard and assists the scorer and timer. If the scoreboard and scoresheet differ and it cannot be resolved, the scoresheet takes precedence.

Source: FIBA Official Basketball Rules 2026, Article 49.

The timer is provided with a game clock and a stopwatch (Article 50.1) and:

• Measures playing time, time-outs and intervals of play.
• Makes sure the game clock signal sounds very loudly and automatically at the end of a quarter or overtime, and uses any means possible to notify the referees immediately if it fails or is not heard.
• Raises the player foul marker to show each player's foul count, visible to both head coaches, and raises the GD marker for a game disqualification.
• Notifies a referee immediately when 5 fouls have been charged against a player.
• Operates the team foul markers.
• Effects substitutions and time-outs, and tells the referees of the time-out opportunity when a team has requested one.
• Sounds the signal only when the ball is dead and before it becomes live again. The timer's signal neither stops the game clock or the game nor makes the ball dead.

Game clock (Article 50.2): start it when a jump ball is legally tapped, when the ball touches or is touched by a player on the court after an unsuccessful last free throw that stays live, or when a throw-in ball touches or is legally touched by a player on the court. Stop it when time expires (if the clock does not stop itself), when a referee blows the whistle while the ball is live, when a goal is scored against a team that requested a time-out, when a goal is scored with 2:00 or less in the fourth quarter and each overtime, and when the shot clock signal sounds while a team is in control.

Intervals (Article 50.4): notify the referees before the first and third quarters when 3 minutes and 1.5 minutes remain, and sound the signal before the second and fourth quarters and each overtime when 30 seconds remain.

Source: FIBA Official Basketball Rules 2026, Article 50.

The shot clock operator runs the shot clock (Article 51). In short, the operator:

• Starts or restarts the clock when a team gains control of a live ball on the court, or when a throw-in ball touches or is legally touched by a player on the court.
• Stops without resetting in the throw-in situations where the same team keeps the ball (see the question on stops and switching off).
• Resets to 24 or 14 seconds in the situations listed in Articles 51.3 and 51.4.
• Switches the clock off when the ball becomes dead and the game clock is stopped in any quarter or overtime, there is a new control of the ball for either team, and fewer than 14 seconds are on the game clock.

The shot clock operator is one of the four table officials, together with the scorer, assistant scorer and timer (Article 46.2).

Source: FIBA Official Basketball Rules 2026, Articles 46 and 51.

Starts or restarts at 24 (Article 51.1): when a team gains control of a live ball on the court, or on a throw-in when the ball touches or is legally touched by a player on the court. Merely touching the ball by an opponent does not start a new period if the same team stays in control.

Reset to 24 seconds, no display visible (Article 51.3):

• The ball legally enters the basket.
• The ball touches the ring of the opponents' basket and is controlled by the team that was not in control before.
• A team is awarded a backcourt throw-in as a result of a foul or violation (except an out-of-bounds violation), or a jump ball situation for the team that previously did not have control.
• The team is awarded free throw(s).

Reset to 14 seconds, with 14 displayed (Article 51.4):

• The same team is awarded a frontcourt throw-in with 13 seconds or less on the shot clock, after a foul or violation (except out-of-bounds) or a stoppage not connected with a team.
• The opponents are awarded a frontcourt throw-in after a personal foul, a violation (including out-of-bounds) or a jump ball situation.
• A team gets a throw-in from the throw-in line in its frontcourt, opposite the scorer's table, after a disruptive, flagrant or disqualifying foul.
• After the ball touches the ring on an unsuccessful shot, last free throw or pass, the team that regains control is the same team that had control before.

Source: FIBA Official Basketball Rules 2026, Articles 29 and 51.

Stopped, not reset, with the remaining time visible (Article 51.2): when the same team that previously had control is awarded a throw-in because of a ball out-of-bounds, an injured player of that team, a technical foul by that team, a jump ball situation (not when the ball lodges between the ring and backboard), a double foul, or a cancellation of equal penalties. It is also stopped and not reset when that team is awarded a frontcourt throw-in as a result of a foul or violation and 14 or more seconds are displayed.

Technical foul by the team in control (Article 29.2.4): the shot clock is not reset and continues from the time it was stopped.

Switched off (Article 51.5): after the ball becomes dead and the game clock is stopped in any quarter or overtime, when there is a new control of the ball for either team and fewer than 14 seconds are on the game clock.

Signal sounds in error (Article 29.2.8): if the shot clock signal sounds in error while a team has control or neither team does, it is disregarded and play continues. If the team in control was placed at a disadvantage, the game is stopped, the shot clock is corrected and that team gets the ball.

The shot clock signal does not stop the game clock or the game, or make the ball dead, unless a team is in control of the ball (Article 51.5).

Source: FIBA Official Basketball Rules 2026, Articles 29 and 51.

Scoresheet (Appendix B.9): each quarter has 4 spaces below the team's name for team fouls. Whenever a player commits a personal, technical, disruptive, flagrant or disqualifying foul, the scorer marks a large 'X' against that player's team in the next space. At the end of each quarter the scorer obliterates the remaining spaces with 2 horizontal parallel lines. Technical or disqualifying fouls under Article 40 (fighting) do not count as team fouls.

Team foul markers (Article 50.1): the timer operates the markers, one on each side of the scorer's table nearest the team bench. Each marker shows the current number of team fouls and is fully red, with no number visible, after the ball becomes live again following the fourth team foul in a quarter.

Penalty (Article 42): a team is in the team foul penalty situation after 4 team fouls in a quarter. Team fouls committed in an interval of play count in the following quarter or overtime, and all team fouls in each overtime count as fourth-quarter fouls.

Source: FIBA Official Basketball Rules 2026, Articles 42, 50 and Appendix B.9.

Fifth foul (Articles 41.1 and 50.1): the timer notifies a referee immediately when 5 fouls have been charged against any player. The referee informs the player, who must leave the game immediately. The timer shows each player's foul count by raising the player foul marker where both head coaches can see it.

Game disqualification (Articles 41.4 and 41.5): the timer raises the GD marker to indicate that a player or coach has been disqualified from the game. This applies to a player with two category 1 technical fouls, two flagrant fouls, or one flagrant and one category 1 technical foul, and to a head coach with the technical-foul totals in Article 41.5.

Scorer's part (Article 49.1): the scorer must notify a referee immediately when a head coach should be disqualified, or when a player should be disqualified after two category 1 technical fouls, two flagrant fouls, or one of each.

On the scoresheet (Appendix B.8): a personal foul is a 'P', a disruptive foul is 'DI', a disqualifying foul is 'D', and a foul involving free throws has the number of free throws (1, 2 or 3) added beside the letter. A foul counting towards game disqualification is circled. When a second category 1 technical foul or second flagrant foul (or the combination of one of each) is entered, it is followed by a 'GD' in the next space.

Source: FIBA Official Basketball Rules 2026, Articles 41, 49, 50 and Appendix B.8.

Entitlement (Article 18.2): each time-out lasts 1 minute. Each team may be granted 2 time-outs in the first half, 3 in the second half (a maximum of 2 of them when the game clock shows 2:00 or less in the fourth quarter), and 1 in each overtime. Unused time-outs cannot be carried over to the next half or overtime.

Recording (Appendix B.7): the scorer enters each time-out granted below the team's name, writing the minute of the playing time in the boxes next to H1 (first half), H2 (second half) or OT (up to 3 overtimes). At the end of each half and overtime, unused boxes are marked with 2 horizontal parallel lines. If a team has not been granted its first second-half time-out before the game clock shows 2:00 in the fourth quarter, the scorer marks 2 horizontal lines in the team's first second-half box.

Duties: the scorer must notify the head coach, through a referee, when the head coach has no time-outs left in a half or overtime (Article 49.1). The timer sounds the signal when a team requests a time-out, starts the stopwatch when the referee gives the time-out signal, and sounds the signal after 50 seconds and again when the time-out ends (Articles 18.3.4 and 50.3).

Source: FIBA Official Basketball Rules 2026, Articles 18, 49, 50 and Appendix B.7.

At least 40 minutes before the scheduled start, the scorer prepares the scoresheet (Appendix B.3):

• Enter the two team names. Team A is the home team (or, for tournaments and neutral-court games, the first team named in the schedule). Team B is the other team.
• Enter the competition name, game number, date, time and place, plus the names of the crew chief and umpire(s).
• Enter each player's licence number (last 3 digits), name and initials in shirt-number order in BLOCK CAPITALS, with (CAP) after the captain's name.
• Enter the head coach and first assistant coach names, and at the bottom the names of the scorer, assistant scorer, timer and shot clock operator.

At least 10 minutes before the start, each head coach confirms the names and numbers, confirms the coaches, marks a small 'x' beside the 5 starters in the 'Player in' column and signs the scoresheet. The head coach of Team A goes first (B.4). At the start of the game the scorer circles the small 'x' of the 5 starters (B.5).

The scorer uses RED for the first and third quarters and BLUE or BLACK for the second and fourth quarters and all overtimes (B.2 note).

Source: FIBA Official Basketball Rules 2026, Appendix B.

Under FIBA Article 49.3:

• During the game, the timer must wait for the first dead ball before sounding the signal.
• Within the limits of Article 45 (Correctable errors), the scorer consults the crew chief and corrects the scoresheet.
• Outside those limits, the error may no longer be corrected. The crew chief or the commissioner, if present, sends a detailed report to the organising body of the competition.

If the scoreboard and the scoresheet disagree and the difference cannot be resolved, the scoresheet takes precedence and the scoreboard is corrected (Article 49.2). Whenever possible the scorer checks the running score against the visual scoreboard (Appendix B.11.6).

Source: FIBA Official Basketball Rules 2026, valid from 1 October 2026, Articles 45 and 49.