Field hockey / Rule 05
Match duration and result
FIH · 2026In short
Quarters and breaks · Winning and drawn games
Quarters and breaks
The standard match has 4 quarters of 15 minutes. Breaks are 2 minutes between the opening pair and final pair of quarters, with 10 minutes at half-time. Alternative timings may be agreed where competition regulations allow. The teams change direction after half-time.
Winning and drawn games
The team with more goals wins; equal scores produce a draw under these rules. A competition may use a shoot-out under its tournament regulations. That procedure is separate from a penalty stroke awarded during play. A quarter may be extended to complete a penalty corner and resulting penalties.
Independent explanations and translations, not official federation publications. Independent summaries of the supplied FIH Rules of Hockey, effective 1 March 2026, for outdoor eleven-a-side hockey. Competition regulations and national implementation can differ. References use PDF pages.
Sources & approach ↗
Sources & approach ↗