How Many Subs Are Allowed In Football?

If you were to ask this question six years ago, then you would be met with a straightforward answer of three. However, since then the rules around substitutions in football has drastically changed due to advances in science and a greater emphasis on player welfare. This has completely changed the dynamic of the game, leading to more tactical prowess and decision making amongst managers.

When Were The Substitution Rules Last Updated In Football?

From the mid-1990s to 2020, most leagues allowed seven players to be named on the bench, with a maximum of three players allowed to be subbed on in a game. However, because of the coronavirus outbreak in 2020, action was taken to adjust the number of substitutes allowed. After a proposal from FIFA, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) introduced the temporary measure of allowing teams to make a maximum of five substitutions instead of the normal three. However, to minimise disruption and maintain the flow of the game, there are only three windows in which teams can make substitutions. Half-time doesn’t count as one of these windows teams can make changes to their on-field players.

This decision was made to help players manage their workloads and get more rest in between games as a result of the fixture congestion caused by the pandemic. However, in October 2021, IFAB recommended that the use of five substitutes was made permanent. The top European leagues all use the five-substitution rule now, but some leagues were slower than others when implementing this change.

Other rules changes saw the introduction of concussion substitutions, which were first trialled in February 2021 by the Premier League. With player safety and welfare increasing in recent years due to huge advances in medical science and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), there has been an additional substitution allowed if a player has sustained a head injury. This change was made permanent in July 2024, which has driven a shift towards protecting player’s safety and welfare.

BREAKING: The International Football Association Board has temporarily approved the use of 5 substitutes. Teams will only have three opportunities to replace players pic.twitter.com/i73YnwSdVE

— B/R Football (@brfootball) May 8, 2020

When Did The Major European Leagues Make The Five-Sub Rule Permanent?

In 2020/21 season La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1 all made the change to switch from a maximum of three substitutes to five when IFAB recommended leagues implement the change. However, the standout league missing from that list is the Premier League, who returned to the three-sub rule after clubs voted against permanently implementing the five-sub rule. Some teams believed that it gave bigger clubs (the "big six") an extra advantage compared to the rest of the league as they could maximise the quality within their larger squads.

However, this was met with criticism from Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola and Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp, who were very vocal about the decision. They claimed that more injuries were occurring due to having only three substitutions available. While there is some truth to this claim, it’s no coincidence that the managers of the top two teams in the league during this period wanted to have more substitutes available. This would enable them to exploit the talent that would otherwise be rotting away on the bench under the three-sub rule.

At the start of the 2022/23 campaign, the Premier League made the five-sub rule permanent after clubs decided to vote in favour of the proposal. Alongside the two additional subs, came an extra two places on the substitutes bench, with an increase from seven to nine players allowed there.

Pep and Klopp still aren't happy that Premier League clubs are only allowed to make three substitutions per match pic.twitter.com/aq9VRpUIGV

— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) November 8, 2020

How Many Players Are Allowed On The Bench?

This is where some variation comes into the equation, as up until this point Europe’s biggest leagues have been aligned with the new rule changes. The Premier League, Bundesliga and Ligue 1 all permit nine players to sit on the bench, an increase from the seven allowed under the three-sub rule. However, La Liga have taken this a step further, as they allow 12 players to sit on the bench, in a bid to further improve player welfare and the flexibility of a team. Serie A have gone one better and allowed 15 players onto the bench, again promoting player welfare whilst also giving younger players more of a chance to be included in matchday squads.

The Origin Of Substitutions

The term substitution has been in use since the 1860s, however its original definition carried a different meaning compared to the one we know now. In the event of a non-appearance from one of the players, a substitute would come in and replace the missing player before kick-off. This then extended to allowing injured players to be substituted, with the earliest known substitution in a competitive match being in 1885. Substitutes were then introduced on an international stage on 15th April 1889 when Wales goalkeeper Jim Trainer didn’t arrive for a match against Scotland.

Substitutions were added to the Laws of the Game in 1958, with teams only being allowed to make one substitution per match (an exception was made for goalkeepers who could always be substituted if injured). However substitutions were only introduced into the World Cup format in 1970. The number of substitutes allowed on the bench and allowed to be brought on in games increased over the years. This settled in the mid-1990s at three substitutes being the standard number of subs allowed to be used in a game.

4⃣5⃣ DAYS TO GO! 🏆🇷🇺

Mexico 1970 was the first #WorldCup to permit substitutions, with 🇧🇷@CBF_Futebol legend Gerson among the first players to be replaced pic.twitter.com/rIA3Y828bY

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) April 30, 2018