Floorball vs Floor Hockey Rules Compared

Floorball and floor hockey differ on the goalkeeper and the equipment. Floorball's goalkeeper is not allowed to use a stick, while floor hockey under Special Olympics rules gives the goalkeeper a regulation ice hockey goalkeeper's stick and uses a felt puck. At Wildcard Sport, we research each sport from its governing body's own rulebook, and this page uses the IFF Rules of the Game 2026 for floorball and the Special Olympics Floor Hockey Sport Rules (September 2024) for floor hockey. We found no single worldwide floor hockey rulebook, so every floor hockey figure here is a Special Olympics figure, and other leagues may differ.

Floorball vs Floor Hockey Side by Side

The table sets the floorball figure from the IFF rulebook beside the floor hockey figure from the Special Olympics rules for each attribute. Where one rulebook gives no figure for a row, the cell says so.

Feature	Floorball (IFF Rules of the Game 2026)	Floor hockey (Special Olympics rules, September 2024)
Governing body	International Floorball Federation (IFF)	Special Olympics, Inc. (International Governing Body for Floor Hockey, for Special Olympics competition)
Players on the playing area	Six per team at once, including one goalkeeper, or six field players	Six per team: one goalkeeper, two defenders, three forwards
Playing area	40 m x 20 m (131 ft x 66 ft)	Recommended maximum 35 m x 20 m (114 ft x 65 ft)
Smallest permitted area	36 m x 18 m	24 m x 12 m (80 ft x 40 ft)
Goalkeeper stick	Not allowed	Regulation ice hockey goalkeeper's stick
Ball or puck	IFF-approved ball, single non-fluorescent colour; the 2026 rulebook gives no size or weight	Felt puck, 20 cm (8 in) across, 2.5 cm (1 in) thick, 140 to 225 g (5 to 8 oz)
Field player stick	IFF-approved and marked; blade not sharp; hook no longer than 30 mm (about 1.18 in)	Rod or dowel, 90 to 150 cm (3 to 5 ft) long, 7.5 to 10 cm (3 to 4 in) around
Helmets	Check the IFF rulebook; this page cites no field-player helmet rule	Mandatory for all players, with full face masks
Goalkeeper face protection	Face mask that meets IFF Material Regulations	Helmet with full face mask, mandatory for all players
Regular game time	3 x 20 minutes	3 x 9 minutes
Breaks	Two 10-minute intermissions	Two 1-minute breaks
Penalties	2-minute bench penalty; longer major or personal penalties for more serious offences	Minor fouls stop play for a face-off; penalty lengths are not covered on this page
Roster	Up to 20 players in the match record	11 to 16 players per team at the start
Divisions and levels	Same rules for men's and women's floorball at all levels	Divisions set by skill assessment scores; Traditional and Unified Sports team competition
Shoes	Indoor sports shoes	Proper athletic footwear

Players and the Goalkeeper

Floorball allows six players per team on the rink at once, and those six must include one goalkeeper or be six field players. Each team may list up to 20 players in the match record. A match can start with at least five field players and a properly equipped goalkeeper. Substitutions can happen at any time, an unlimited number of times, inside the team's own substitution zone (rule 302).

Floor hockey under the Special Olympics rules also uses six players per team on the playing area: one goalkeeper, two defenders and three forwards, one center and two wings. The goalkeeper must play from a standing position. A team starts with a minimum of 11 and a maximum of 16 players. A goalkeeper must be on the area at all times, except in the last two minutes, when an extra player may replace the goalkeeper.

The two rulebooks agree on six players per side, but the match record and the squad differ. A floorball match record can list 20 players, which is four more than the 16-player maximum for a floor hockey squad.

Rink and Playing Area Size

A floorball rink measures 40 m x 20 m (131 ft x 66 ft) and is enclosed by a board with rounded corners that the IFF approves. The smallest rink the rules allow is 36 m x 18 m. Floorball is preferably played indoors on a hard, even surface at a venue the administrating authority approves.

Under Special Olympics rules, floor hockey has a recommended maximum of 35 m x 20 m (114 ft x 65 ft) and a minimum of 24 m x 12 m (80 ft x 40 ft). The minimum is the size of a basketball court. The surface must be level. The area can be defined by lines, by boundary boards 1.1 m to 1.2 m high, or by marking tape if nothing else is available.

The floorball rink is 40 m x 20 m, or 800 m². The largest recommended floor hockey area is 35 m x 20 m, or 700 m². The smallest permitted floorball rink is 36 m x 18 m, or 648 m². The smallest floor hockey area is 24 m x 12 m, or 288 m², so the smallest floorball rink is 2.25 times that size (648 ÷ 288).

Both rulebooks mark the goal areas differently. Floorball sets goal creases at 4 m x 5 m, goalkeeper areas at 1 m x 2.5 m, and goal posts 1.6 m apart. Floor hockey's goal crease is a semicircle with a 1.8 m (6 ft) radius. The floor hockey goal measures 1.8 m wide, 1.2 m high and 0.6 m deep, and regulation ice hockey goals are also permitted.

The Ball and the Puck

Floorball is played with a ball. The IFF requires the ball and the stick to be IFF-approved and marked accordingly (rules 107 and 406). The ball's surface is a single non-fluorescent colour. The 2026 rulebook gives no ball size or weight, so this page does not compare the ball's dimensions with the puck's.

Under Special Olympics rules, floor hockey uses a puck: a circular felt disc with a center hole. It measures 20 cm (8 in) across and 2.5 cm (1 in) thick, and it weighs 140 g to 225 g (5 to 8 oz). The Special Olympics rules give those figures for a puck, and the floorball rulebook gives no matching figures for its ball.

Sticks

Floorball field sticks must be IFF-approved and marked accordingly (rule 406). The blade may not be sharp, and the hook may not exceed 30 mm (about 1.18 in). The 2026 rulebook gives no field-stick length, so this page does not state one.

Under Special Olympics rules, floor hockey field sticks are a rod or dowel of wood and/or fiberglass, 90 cm to 150 cm (3 ft to 5 ft) long, with a circumference of 7.5 cm to 10 cm (3 in to 4 in). The floor end is rounded off. The allowed length range spans 60 cm (about 2 ft), from 90 cm to 150 cm.

The goalkeeper stick is a difference between the two sports. The floorball goalkeeper is not allowed to use a stick at all (rule 403). The floor hockey goalkeeper uses a regulation ice hockey goalkeeper's stick. On this point the two rulebooks give opposite answers.

Contact and Stick Rules

Floorball limits how high a stick can go. Field players may not raise the blade above waist level in the backswing before a hit when another player is at risk of being hit. They may not play the ball above knee level with the stick, foot or lower leg. Stopping the ball with a thigh does not count as above knee level. Players may jump over the ball, and they may play, touch and stop the ball below knee level.

Floorball also restricts body contact. The rules restrict physical play, and pushing an opponent other than shoulder to shoulder is an offence. Hitting, blocking, lifting or kicking an opponent's stick is a free-hit offence.

Floor hockey penalties cover several kinds of contact. The Special Olympics rulebook has penalty sections for holding, tripping, charging, interference, hooking, slashing, kicking, high sticking, roughing, checking or charging from behind, and cross checking. Check the rulebook for which contacts are legal. Kicking the puck during play is legal in floor hockey.

Minor fouls stop play for a face-off in floor hockey. Examples in the rulebook include a player standing on the puck, a player or goalkeeper holding the puck for longer than three seconds, and a goal crease violation.

Learn either sport with a qualified club or coach.

Protective Equipment

The IFF advises national associations to make protective goggles mandatory for players under 17, and it recommends goggles for players under 19. IFF-recommended personal protective equipment is CE-marked. Floorball goalkeepers wear a face mask that meets IFF Material Regulations, plus jerseys and long trousers (rule 401). Players wear indoor sports shoes.

Floor hockey lists four mandatory items for all players: helmets with full face masks, gloves, shin guards and proper athletic footwear. It recommends five more: elbow pads, an athletic supporter, knee pads, a goalie chest protector and a mouth piece.

The helmet is one equipment difference. Floor hockey requires a helmet with a full face mask for every player. For floorball, this page cites IFF guidance on goggles for younger players and a face mask for the goalkeeper; check the IFF rulebook for anything further. If you are buying gear for a floor hockey league, the Special Olympics list has nine named items, four mandatory and five recommended.

Game Length and Penalties

Floorball's regular game time is three 20-minute periods, or 60 minutes of play, with two 10-minute intermissions. The administrating authority may allow shorter games, but not shorter than 2 x 15 minutes, or 30 minutes of game time (rule 201).

Under Special Olympics rules, floor hockey games are three 9-minute periods, or 27 minutes of game time. Each period break lasts 1 minute, so the two breaks total 2 minutes. The last three minutes of the third period are stop time unless both coaches waive it. Each team gets one 1-minute timeout per game, and two certified officials work the game.

Regular floorball game time is 33 minutes longer than floor hockey's (60 minus 27). Its intermissions also add 20 minutes of breaks, against 2 minutes in floor hockey (2 x 10 against 2 x 1).

A floorball bench penalty lasts 2 minutes (rule 603), and more serious offences lead to longer major bench or personal penalties.

Scoring in Floor Hockey

In floor hockey, a goal counts when the entire puck passes over the goal line. The offensive player must put the puck into the goal with the stick from outside the goal crease. Kicking or throwing the puck into the goal is not allowed. A puck deflected into the goal by an offensive or defending player counts, even if the deflection was inadvertent.

The IFF Rules of the Game 2026 is the source for how a floorball goal is scored.

Governing Bodies and Floor Hockey Rules

The International Floorball Federation (IFF) publishes the floorball rules. The IFF Rules of the Game 2026 apply equally to men's and women's floorball at all levels of competition. The IFF describes itself on its about page.

Special Olympics, Inc. is the International Governing Body for Floor Hockey. The Official Special Olympics Rules govern all Special Olympics floor hockey competitions, and the Floor Hockey Sport Rules (September 2024) are the source for every floor hockey figure on this page. Special Olympics floor hockey divisions are set by skill assessment scores, and the rulebook includes Traditional and Unified Sports team competition.

We did not find a single worldwide floor hockey rulebook. School, recreation and local leagues may play by other rules. Read every floor hockey number on this page as the Special Olympics number.

Picking One to Try

Pick floorball if you want a rulebook from one international federation, the IFF, that covers men's and women's play at all levels. It also suits a goalkeeper who plays without a stick, since rule 403 bans a goalkeeper stick. Floorball gives you unlimited substitutions at any time, a 40 m x 20 m rink and 60 minutes of regular game time.

Pick floor hockey under Special Olympics rules if you plan to compete in Special Olympics floor hockey competitions, since those rules govern them. It suits a goalkeeper who holds a regulation ice hockey goalkeeper's stick, a felt puck of 140 g to 225 g, and a game of 27 minutes of game time with one 1-minute timeout per team.

Floorball is not the choice if you want the goalkeeper to use a stick. Floor hockey is not the choice if you want one rulebook that governs every league, because the Special Olympics rules govern only Special Olympics competitions.

The answer would change if a single worldwide floor hockey rulebook were published, if the Special Olympics rules were revised beyond the September 2024 version, or if the IFF issued a new Rules of the Game edition.

To start with floorball, read the floorball guide. To compare other sports, see the sports comparisons or browse all sports.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between floorball and floor hockey?

Floorball's goalkeeper cannot use a stick, and floorball uses a ball that must be IFF-approved. Floor hockey under Special Olympics rules gives the goalkeeper a regulation ice hockey goalkeeper's stick, uses a felt puck, and requires a helmet with a full face mask for every player. Both sports field six players per team on the playing area, but floorball's regular game time is 60 minutes and floor hockey's is 27 minutes.

Does floorball use a puck?

No. The IFF rules name a ball, which must be IFF-approved and marked accordingly (rule 107). The 2026 rulebook gives no ball size or weight. Under Special Olympics rules, floor hockey uses a felt puck 20 cm (8 in) across and 2.5 cm (1 in) thick.

How many players are on a floorball team and a floor hockey team?

Both sports have six players per team on the playing area. In floorball, the six can be one goalkeeper and five field players, or six field players, and a team may list up to 20 players in the match record. In floor hockey, the six are one goalkeeper, two defenders and three forwards, and a team starts with 11 to 16 players.

Can you body check in floorball?

We cite no IFF rule that allows a body check. The IFF rules restrict physical play and make pushing an opponent other than shoulder to shoulder an offence. Hitting, blocking, lifting or kicking an opponent's stick is a free-hit offence.

Do floor hockey players wear helmets?

Yes, under the Special Olympics rules, which make helmets with full face masks mandatory for all players, along with gloves, shin guards and athletic footwear. For floorball, this page cites IFF guidance on goggles for younger players and a face mask for the goalkeeper; check the IFF rulebook for anything further.

How long is a floorball game compared with floor hockey?

Floorball's regular game time is three 20-minute periods, or 60 minutes, with two 10-minute intermissions. Under Special Olympics rules, floor hockey is three 9-minute periods, or 27 minutes, with 1-minute breaks. The floorball game is 33 minutes longer in regular game time. The administrating authority may shorten a floorball game, but not below 2 x 15 minutes.

Is floorball the same as unihockey?

Our sources use the name floorball, and none of them addresses the name unihockey, so we do not say whether the two names mean the same sport.