The short answer
At a penalty kick, part of the ball must touch or overhang the centre of the mark. The goalkeeper must keep at least part of one foot touching, in line with or behind the goal line until the kick. Everyone else stays outside the area and arc, behind the mark and at least 9.15 metres away. The ball must move forward. Encroachment is now punished only when it clearly affects the play, while an accidental double touch that enters the goal produces a retake.
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The setup before the whistle
IFAB Law 14 is exact about the starting picture. Part of the ball must touch or overhang the centre of the penalty mark. The posts, bar and net must not be moving, and the kicker must be identified.
The goalkeeper faces the kicker between the posts. Every other player must be on the field, outside the penalty area and penalty arc, behind the mark, and at least 9.15 metres away. The arc is not decorative: it marks the ten-yard exclusion distance around the mark.
The referee signals only after that picture is correct. The kick is part of the wider football rules, but it has its own start, completion and offence table.
What the goalkeeper may do
The goalkeeper may move sideways and may jump or move their arms, provided the behaviour is not unfairly distracting. They may not delay the kick, touch the posts, crossbar or net to make them move, or advance illegally.
At the instant the ball is kicked, the goalkeeper must have at least part of one foot touching, in line with, or behind the goal line. The other foot may be ahead. This replaced the older expectation that both feet remain on the line.
If an illegal advance prevents the ball entering, the penalty is retaken. The goalkeeper is warned for a first offence in the match and cautioned for later offences. If the kick goes in anyway, the goal stands.
Feints, passes and double touches
The ball must be kicked forward and clearly move. A backheel is legal if it sends the ball forward, which means a taker can also roll a penalty kick to a teammate rather than shoot.
Feinting during the run-up is legal. Feinting to kick after the run-up is completed is not: the kicker is cautioned and the defence receives an indirect free kick, even if the ball entered the goal.
The kicker may not play the ball twice before someone else touches it. Under the clarified rule for an accidental slip or simultaneous two-foot contact, a goal leads to a retake; a miss or save leads to an indirect free kick. A deliberate second touch remains an indirect free kick, or a direct free kick if it is handball.
Encroachment is about impact
Players often step into the area a fraction early. Current Law 14 does not punish every technical encroachment. It asks whether the movement clearly affected the goalkeeper or kicker, or whether the early entrant then played or challenged for the rebound.
An attacking player who encroaches and then scores from a rebound is penalised with an indirect free kick. A defending player who encroaches and prevents a scoring chance can cause a retake. If the early movement has no impact and the rebound goes elsewhere, play can continue.
This impact test is why a freeze-frame showing a foot inside the area does not settle the decision. The law is concerned with an advantage gained from the infringement.
Rebounds and the end of the kick
During ordinary play, a saved penalty or a ball rebounding from the frame remains live. The kicker can play it after the goalkeeper touches it, but cannot play a rebound directly from a post or bar because no other player has touched the ball.
At the end of a half, time is extended for the penalty to be completed. In that special situation, the kick ends when the ball stops, leaves play, is played by anyone other than the defending goalkeeper, or the referee stops play. A rebound sequence that would continue in normal time may therefore end the half.
Kicks in a shoot-out use related but separate provisions in Law 10; they are not added to the match score as ordinary penalty kicks.
How VAR changes enforcement, not the law
VAR review can check a penalty decision, goalkeeper encroachment and offences by the kicker in match-changing situations. It does not rewrite Law 14.
The most useful viewing order is: Was the setup legal? Did the goalkeeper meet the one-foot requirement? Did the ball move forward? Was any feint after the run-up? Did encroachment affect the outcome? Did the kicker touch it again?
That order prevents the common mistake of starting with the result—goal or miss—and trying to reverse-engineer the rule from it.
Frequently asked questions
Can a penalty taker pass the ball?
Yes. The ball only has to be kicked forward and clearly move; a teammate may then play it if all players were correctly positioned.
Can the goalkeeper move before a penalty?
Yes, along the goal line. At the moment of the kick, at least part of one foot must touch, be in line with or be behind the goal line.
Can the taker stop during the run-up?
Feinting during the run-up is allowed. Feinting to kick after the run-up has been completed is illegal and brings a caution and an indirect free kick.
What happens if the taker slips and touches the ball twice?
If the accidental double touch sends the ball into the goal, the penalty is retaken. If it does not enter, the defending team receives an indirect free kick.
Can the penalty taker score from a rebound?
Only after another player touches the ball. A rebound directly from a post or crossbar cannot be played again by the taker.
Is every encroachment punished?
No. Current Law 14 penalises encroachment when it clearly affects the goalkeeper or taker, or when the encroaching player becomes involved in the rebound.