1: The Teams

1.1 Teams may consist of 7 players minimum to 13 players maximum. The game is played with 6 players (5 in the field + 1 goalkeeper).

1.2 In 2020, boys and girls born in 2009 and after can participate in the Hopla Cup.

2: Playground

2.1 The playground will be 20m x 10m, the depth of the pool is 1.80m.

2.2 Penalties are shot at 4m

2.3 The 2 m zone will be delimited by a cone. The 4 m zone will be delimited    by a cone of a different color.

2.4 Goal size: 2m x 0.75m

2.5 The balloons used will be size 3.

3: Duration of the game

3.1  Each game will last 2 times of 9 minutes each with a break of 2 min between times

3.2 Time runs continuously and it is stopped only in case of injury or technical incident.

3.3 In the semifinals and finals, time will be stopped after a goal and coaches will be allowed to request 1 time out of 1 minute per game.

3.4 The 30 second rule will not be applied.

3.5 The referee may decide that possession of the ball must be given to the other team if there is clear evidence of an intention to lose time.

 4: Rules

4.1 During the game where the teams are playing with an equal number of players, an attacker may not stand in front of the opposing goal and up to 4 meters for more than 5 seconds.

4.2 The player who commits 4 fouls can not return to the field of play. Players who are brutal or who do not respect the other players or the referee will be excluded from the match. The player also risks a disqualification of the tournament depending on the seriousness of his actions.

4.3 The expelled player may immediately return to the field (except for brutality, violent play or lack of respect) after joining the defined exclusion zone.

4.4  At any time during the game, a field player may be replaced by leaving the field of play in the zone provided for this purpose and defined. The substitute may enter the field of play as soon as the outgoing player is in the confined area.

4.5 Only the goalkeeper has the right to hold the ball with both hands

4.6 The goalkeeper is allowed to cross the middle of the field. From the moment he has passed the 4 meters zone, he is subject to the same rules as a field player.

4.7 If the goalkeeper touches the ball and leaves the field, there is a corner.

4.8 Attack of the goalkeeper: when the goalkeeper has the ball in his hands, the players are not allowed to attack him. In case of non-respect, a free-shot will be awarded to the goalkeeper.

4.9 In defense: pressing is mandatory. Any player who will then perform a defense in the zone will be excluded.A player is allowed to the zone after committing a simple foul on a player in the periphery area. However, he must return to the pressing as soon as the foul has been played.

4.10  After a foul outside the 4-meter line, the attacking player may not shoot directly at the goal. However, the player can play his ball (which means the ball leaves the player's hand) and then swim and shoot or stady and shoot.

4.11 The free shot can be played where the ball is. If the fault is within 4 meters, the pass is mandatory. If the fault has taken place outside the 4 meters, the referee will raise his arm to indicate that the player can swim and shoot or stay stady and shoot.

4.12 A touch from behind in front of the goal in the 4 meters area will be sanctioned by a penalty if there is no one between the ball carrier and the goal, whether or not the attacker has the ball in his hand. Outside the 4 meters, this fault will be sanctioned by an exclusion.

4.13 The goalkeeper can be replaced only in the following stages of the game:

• after a goal has been scored,
• during the interval between play periods,
• in case of interruption of the match by the referee in case of injury.

4.14 In all other cases, the general rules of Water Polo apply.

5: Points 

5.1 The winning team will receive 3 points.

5.2 In case of a tie, 1 point will be awarded to each team.

5.3 The losing team will receive 0 points.

5.4 In the event two or more teams have the same points after the preliminary round matches, the following criteria will be applied to determine the final position of the teams: 

• Match result between teams with equal points.
• Higher goal difference between teams
• More goals scored
• Higher goal difference in the group
• Highest number of goals scored in the group 

5.5 In the final phase of the tournament, in the event of a tie, the teams will be each shoot a series of five shots. If, at the end of this phase, the teams have not differences, each team will alternately shoot a penalty until the victory of one of them. Players will shoot in the same order as in the first set of shots on goal.

6: Referees

6.1 One referee per match

6.2  Two people at the scoring table to ensure the following of the game's rules, to record the score and also to check if the entries and exits are in the rules, to note the exclusion of players and the fourth personal foul.

6.3 A timekeeper per pool during poule's matches or classification

6.4 A timekeeper by court to record the exact periods of real play, the intervals between the periods and the timeouts in the semi-finals and finals.

7: Miscellaneous

7.1  Only 1 coach and 1 assistant can sit on the bench.

7.2. The coach must never interfere with the referee's work.

7.3 During the tournament, the coach, his assistant and the players will be obliged to carry the accreditation provided by the organizers.

7.4 Members of the same team will wear identical clothing if possible.

7.5 The coach or his assistant will be automatically expelled in case of protest during a match and suspended for at least the next match. The decision will be made by the organizing committee of the tournament.

7.6 Any bad behavior of coaches or supporters in the stands making it difficult for the game to run will allow the referee to suspend play temporarily. In case of recidivism, the game will end and a 5-0 loss will be assigned to the team whose supporters or officials are considered responsible for the incident.

7.7 In case the bad behavior involve both teams or even the public of both teams, each team will be awarded a 5-0 loss.

7.8 All matters not provided for in this regulation are governed by the general rules defined by FINA and FIN.

7.9 All teams will attend the Award Ceremony in its entirety and will wear the t-shirt provided to each participant and presented at the time of arrival.

8: Fair Play Trophy

8.1 The Hopla Cup is an event based on ethics and strong values of mutual respect and fair play. Each person involved in this competition (children, coaches, team leaders, parents, supporters ...) is bound to respect these values. In order to highlight these principles, the Hopla Cup Organizing Committee awards an award entitled "Fair Play Trophy".

8.2 The purpose of this award is to fight against reprehensible behavior and to praise and encourage good behavior. The evaluation of each team will be recorded on the score sheet written by the secretary of each match. The assessment applies to all teams for all tournament matches.