The referee stops play, holds the ball and asks everyone except one player to stand back. No free kick is being taken. A dropped ball restarts play when the interruption does not call for one of football’s other specified restarts.
The current IFAB Law 8, checked on 19 October 2026, sets the procedure. If the ball was inside the penalty area when play stopped, the defending goalkeeper receives the drop there. Outside the area, the recipient’s team is the one that had or would have retained or gained possession, where the referee can determine that; otherwise, it is the team that last touched the ball.
Watch the location as well as the recipient
Outside the area, the usual position is where the ball was when play stopped. If it hit a match official or outside agent, the drop is at the contact or interference position. Other players must remain at least four metres away until the ball touches the ground and becomes live.
That distinction makes a replay easier to read. Instead of looking only for the last touch, follow the interrupted passage of play. Where was the ball? What stopped it? Which team would have possessed it? A close camera angle may not show enough to answer all three.
It is not an uncontested shot at goal
A goal cannot count from a dropped ball unless it has touched at least two players. The receiving player can dribble after the ball becomes live, but repeated touches by that same player do not satisfy the two-player requirement.
For a viewing note, record the stoppage and the restart separately. “Play stopped for an outside interruption; dropped ball awarded” is clearer than assuming every whistle means a foul. If a broadcast discussion seems confusing, compare it with the law edition used by the competition. Older clips and older explanations may describe a different dropped-ball procedure.