Effective from 1 October 2026, The FIBA rule changes include significant updates to how the game is played and officiated, including the Act of Shooting, Technical Fouls, the introduction of the Disruptive Foul, Flagrant Fouls, Game Disqualification and new referee signals.

Read on below for a summary of key rule changes.

Act of Shooting
A more precise definition of the continuous movement and the act of shooting (AOS) is necessary, due to players increasingly manipulation situations to create shooting fouls, either in transition or half-court offense.

A more accurate description has been provided to define when the AOS starts and ends on different types of shots.

the changes are intended to:

  • Differentiate the AOS for different types of shots: drives to basket, jump shots and other moving shots;
  • Indicate locations and directions, e.g. drive to basket, jump shots and other moving shots;
  • Define the movement of the player’s body part for an action to be considered an AOS;
  • disregard ant shot from the backcourt, unless the shot is taken at the end of the weather/overtime or at the end of the shot clock at any time in the game.

Dribbling
The revision and update of Article 24.2 clarifies that for a player to lose control of a live ball, any one of the three conditions listed in the article must apply.

The updated wording eliminates any potential inconsistencies of double dribble situations.

Technical Fouls
The previous game disqualification rule, whereby a player was disqualified from a game after being charged with either two technical fouls, two unsportsmanlike fouls, or a combination of the two, appears overly strict.

Therefore based on their nature and severity level, the technical fouls (TFs) have been dividd into two categories, with more severe ones (category 1) counting towards game disqualification (GD) and the the less severe ones (category 2) not counting towards Gd.

The change introduces proportionality in sanctions and a more balanced disciplinary system.

Unsportsmanlike Fouls
The former unsportsmanlike foul has been replaced with the two separate foul types, with more severe ones (flagrant fouls) counting towards game disqualification (GD) and the less severe ones (disruptive fouls) not counting towards GD.

The introduction of a disruptive foul addressed the tactical stopping of play without severe unsportsmanlike behaviours and contributes to proportionality in sanctions.

Referee’s Signals
The signals for delay of the game, a disruptive foul and a flagrant foul have been introduced in line with the new foul types and categories of fouls.

FIBA RULE CHANGES