Whether you're a 5v5 regular or jumping in for the first time, the best thing you can do for your squad is to know the rules before kickoff. Here's the full breakdown.
Offside: only where it matters
In 5v5, offside doesn't work the way it does in real football. Instead of counting from the halfway line, it only kicks in once you cross the dashed line into the final third.
Why? On a compact 5v5 pitch, a halfway offside line would let defending teams push up and squeeze the whole match into a tiny space. Moving the line back keeps the middle of the pitch open, with more room to make runs, play through balls and build attacks.
Past the dashed line, standard rules apply: stay level with or behind the ball or the second-to-last defender when the pass is played. You'll see the line on the pitch and on your radar, so you always know where offside begins.
Kick-ins: no more throw-ins or corners
When the ball goes out, it comes back into play with a kick. That covers both throw-ins and corners. There are no teleports and no cutscenes, so the game keeps flowing without breaks.
Pro tip: you can pre-charge your pass before the kick-in, so you're ready to restart the attack straight away.
Blue cards: play dirty, sit out
Commit a bad foul and you'll get a blue card, which sends you off the pitch for 45 seconds. If the other team scores while you're out, 20 seconds come off your penalty, so you get back into the game sooner.
And no matter what happens, a team can never drop below 3 players on the pitch.
Who's in goal? The captain
In 5v5, the team captain controls the goalkeeper. That means saving penalties, distributing with the ball in hand and handling set pieces.
By default, the captain is the first player to join the team in the lobby, but you can hand the role to a teammate before the match starts. If the captain leaves, the role passes to another player on the team.
See you on October 29
Now you know the rules. All that's left is to round up your squad, pick your position and get ready for kickoff. The 5v5 event starts on October 29. See you on the pitch!