Rules · 5 min read
Substitutions explained: five changes, three windows and concussion replacements
Five substitutions are permanent; three windows are the limit. The difference decides how coaches manage the last 20 minutes.
The numbers
Teams may use five substitutes from a bench of up to twelve, but only in three separate stoppages. Half-time does not count as a window, so a coach can make a fourth change at the interval without using one.
In extra time, an additional substitution and an additional window are allowed. That is why cup ties often finish with six or seven changed players on each side.
Concussion substitutes
A concussion substitute is permanent and does not count against the five, but it must be approved by the match doctor and the opposition is granted an equivalent replacement. The rule exists so that a team is never punished for protecting a player's brain.
The protocol is deliberately slow: a suspected concussion means the player is removed, assessed and cannot return, regardless of the score.
How coaches use the windows
The three-window rule rewards coaches who plan. A double change at half-time and a triple change on 70 minutes uses two windows and leaves one spare for an injury.
It also punishes the reactive coach: three separate single substitutions before the 80th minute leaves no window for a late injury, and a team can be forced to play with ten men.
Quick answers
Is half-time a substitution window?
No. Changes made at half-time do not count as one of the three windows.
Can a substituted player return?
No, except in some youth and grassroots competitions with rolling substitutions.
How many players can be named on the bench?
Up to twelve in most competitions, nine in UEFA fixtures.