The Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) has released the official rules for 2026 flag football. The guidelines outline player requirements, equipment standards, game timing, field setup, and conduct expectations.
Each team will have seven players on the field, with a minimum of five required to start and finish a game. Unlimited substitutions are allowed between plays. All participants must wear legal equipment, including flag belts without knots or tape and contrasting in color. Jerseys must be tucked in, mouthguards are mandatory, and only rubber or plastic cleats are permitted. Players may not wear metal cleats or jewelry; officials will check compliance before each game.
Games will consist of two 20-minute halves under a running clock, except for the last two minutes of each half when specific stoppages apply—such as incomplete passes or out-of-bounds plays. Teams receive three timeouts per half, each lasting 30 seconds.
A pre-game administrator meeting and coin toss determine which team chooses offense or defense, direction of play, or defers to the second half. The standard field measures 80 yards by 40 yards with four zones of 20 yards each and end zones that start at the 10-yard line on a traditional 100-yard field.
There is a “no run zone” within ten yards of the end zone for offensive teams going in to score; this also applies during extra point attempts from both three- and ten-yard lines. Try-for-point attempts from three yards yield one point; those from ten yards yield two points.
Ball placement starts at the 14-yard line at kickoff or after touchbacks; following safeties it moves to the 30-yard line. After every play, the ball is spotted in the middle of the field.
Halftime lasts five to ten minutes depending on conditions such as heat and humidity. If concussion symptoms appear in any player, they must be removed until cleared by medical staff. In case of lightning strikes near the venue, there will be a mandatory thirty-minute delay after each observed strike.
A mercy rule comes into effect if one team leads by nineteen points within the final two minutes of regulation time.
Rules regarding snapper positioning require feet behind the neutral zone with only hands extending beyond the ball’s foremost point; snappers cannot simulate snaps to draw defenders offside and have limited protection once play begins.
Formations mandate at least four players on the line of scrimmage with all eligible as receivers; only one player may move before play but must do so parallel or backward relative to scrimmage.
The neutral zone is set at one yard between offense and defense at snap—defensive encroachment results in a dead-ball foul with a five-yard penalty unless corrected before snap without contact.
Illegal shifts (multiple players moving without setting for one second) and illegal motion (moving toward line at snap) incur five-yard penalties. Blocking is restricted solely to screen blocking under strict guidelines prohibiting arm extension or initiating contact—violations result in ten-yard penalties.
Scrimmage kicks require declaration prior to ready-for-play signals; punts occur from two yards behind scrimmage with no defensive rush allowed once declared.
Only one forward pass per play is permitted from behind scrimmage; backward passes are legal but dead if they hit ground where contact occurs. Fumbles become dead balls immediately upon hitting ground rather than remaining live plays—a rule designed for safety and fairness among high school athletes nationwide according to MHSAA guidance.
Loss-of-down penalties include illegal forward passes, illegal touching by receivers not eligible due to position violations, offensive pass interference actions against defenders trying for interceptions as well as flag guarding deemed subjective by officials’ judgment calls—all carrying either five- or ten-yard losses plus loss of down based on severity outlined within association handbooks available through MHSAA channels.
Personal fouls such as defensive pass interference, kick catching interference violations against returners awaiting possession rights during punts/kicks-offs sequences—and illegal contacts including tackling/excessive force—carry automatic first downs alongside ten-yard mark-offs when committed defensively while unsportsmanlike conduct like taunting/baiting/profanity/sideline interference draws similar penalties with repeat offenders subjecting themselves toward ejection following multiple infractions over course contests administered locally under these updated rulesets.
