Water polo rules explained
Scope: Standard seven-a-side water polo under the World Aquatics competition regulations issued in February 2026.
Water polo combines swimming, passing and shooting. Each team starts with seven players in the water, including a goalkeeper. Teams try to finish attacks with a legal shot into the opposing goal.
Playing the ball
Field players generally play the ball with one hand. Touching the pool floor with their legs during play is an ordinary foul. A goalkeeper has specific exceptions for using two hands, a clenched fist and the pool floor while in their own defensive six-metre area. Players swim as well as tread water.
Taking the whole ball underwater when tackled, or to hide it from an opponent, is an ordinary foul. Physical contact is judged according to the situation: holding, sinking or pulling back an opponent who is not holding the ball can lead to exclusion.
The shot clock
A normal possession allows 28 seconds to shoot. Certain situations use an 18-second period, including an attacking rebound after a shot and a corner throw. After an exclusion without a change of possession, the clock retains the longer of 18 seconds or the time already remaining. Passing the ball does not start a new possession clock.
Fouls and exclusions
- Ordinary foul: generally gives the other team a free throw.
- Exclusion: a player leaves the water. For a standard temporary exclusion, re-entry is permitted when 18 seconds of actual play have passed, or an earlier qualifying event occurs, such as a goal or the excluded team regaining possession. Officials control re-entry.
- Penalty foul: includes specified defensive offences in the six-metre area that prevent a probable goal. Other listed offences can also result in a penalty.
A penalty throw is taken from the five-metre line. That location is different from the six-metre area used when judging many penalty fouls. Misconduct and violent action carry separate, more serious sanctions.
Time and the result
There are four periods of eight minutes of actual play. The clock stops at stoppages. Each legal goal counts once. Under these World Aquatics rules, a tie after the fourth period is decided by a penalty shootout. Local and junior competitions can use different arrangements.
Sources and review
Reviewed on against World Aquatics Competition Regulations, Part Six, Articles 2, 4, 8–11 and 16. This is an introduction; the full rules and the regulations for your competition take precedence.