Teams and substitutions
IHF · 2025Players and changing places · Equipment and injuries
Players and changing places
A team may have up to 16 players, with no more than seven on court and at least five at the start. It may play with seven court players and no goalkeeper. Only one player per team on court may be identified as goalkeeper. Substitutions are repeatable and normally need no notification, but the outgoing player must leave first and both players use their own substitution line. A faulty substitution normally brings a two-minute suspension and an opposing free throw.
Equipment and injuries
Court players wear matching kit; goalkeeper colours must distinguish them from both teams’ court players and the opposing goalkeeper. Dangerous equipment is prohibited. A bleeding player must leave until the bleeding is stopped, the wound covered and blood removed. After treatment on court, a player normally waits until the team’s third attack has ended before returning. Exceptions include treatment following an opponent’s progressively punished illegal action and a goalkeeper hit on the head by the ball; the interval also ends this waiting requirement.
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