Tournament rules

Below you can find all the tournament and game rules for Lundaspelen. Please read through carefully the categorization, rules for licensing, protest procedure and game rules.

Categories 2026

Group stage and play offs

Teams are divided into groups with 4–6 teams, playing a round-robin. The two best teams from each group advance to the A-playoff. The remaining team advance to the B-playoff. Both playoffs are played in a cup format.

If two teams have the same points in groups, the order is decided according to the result between the two teams:

1.  Results between tied teams : a) points b) basket difference c) baskets made.

2. Results from the whole series  : a) basket difference b) baskets made

Licencing rules

●      Lundaspelen is a club tournament. Players should be eligible to play for the club according to each NATIONS own governing rules (regional differences from national rule do not apply) and meet the age criteria stated above, no matter the differences in rules of any nation.

●      A player must have been registered as a player in at least one game during the group stage to be allowed to play in the playoff games.

●      A player is only allowed to play with one team per classification. 

●      Playing with a player not meeting the licensing criteria leads to disqualification of the team .

Disqualification

●      During group stage: The results of all games including the disqualified team are cancelled, The group standing is calculated without the disqualified team.

●      During play offs: The disqualified team loses their last game with 0-20. The opposing team wins the game and qualifies for the next game.

Game procedure

●      Team rosters:As soon as the game before your game has ended contact the score table to review your roster on the score sheet and approve it.

●      Colours of uniform:Team A* – light coloured uniform, Team B – Dark coloured uniform. Teams are allowed to switch if both teams agree.
* Team A: noted first in the game schedule

●      Game ball and ball sizes:For every court a game ball will be provided by the tournament.

• Boys U15–U23: size 7
• Boys U13–U14: size 6
• Girls U13–U23: size 6

●      Warm up: Teams must bring their own basketballs for warm-up. Time for warm-up on court will not be guaranteed.

●      Identification:Every player should be able to prove his/her age  with identification (preferably with a photo).

●      “No show” or leaving the game:If a team has not appeared 5 minutes after a game’s starting time, the present team wins (20-0). Any team which leaves the court during a game is eliminated/disqualified from the tournament.

Game rules (U13–U23 + Wheelchair)

●      Playing time : 2x15 minutes. The game clock is stopped during the last 3 minutes of the second half and over time. The game clock will NOT be stopped if the game has been stopped by a referee (or following a made basket or during free throws) with more than 3:00 minutes on the gameclock and the game clock then reaches 03:00.

The game clock will always be stopped if a player receives their fourth foul or if the referee for any reason requests it.

After a time out, the game clock will be started when a player on the court touches the ball. When the game is started with a free throw the game clock will be started when the shooter receives the ball, or, during the last 3 minutes of the game or during over time, according to normal FIBA regulations.

●      Players:5 players on court for ALL categories

●      Defence: No zone defence in u14 and younger

●      Fouls: 4 personal fouls per player. Team fouls are penalized on the 8th foul in each half.
A disqualified player (D-foul, not GD or F), team member or coach may not participate in the next game.

●      Timeouts: 1 timeout per half, no extra time out for over time but teams may use the one from the second half if not yet used.

●      Shot clock : The shot clock is unobserved, but the referee can signal for 10 seconds left of the offense if a team, in the judgement of the referee, is deliberately delaying the game or if the ball does not touch the basket in due time.

●      Procedure for inbound: According to FIBA regulation – No Swedish “snabbinkast”

●      Substitution: May only be done when the game is stopped by a referee, or, during the last 3 minutes of the game or during over time, after the opposing team has scored a basket.

The substitute will call for the player he is substituting and the substitution needs to happen next to the team bench area by the score table. Once the player has left the court the substitute may enter the court and become a player.

The referee will not call/signal for a substitution, nor hold the ball or delay the game during substitutions.

Penalty for incorrect substitution: First time official warning, second time B-technical foul on the coach.

●      Over time:

• 1x2 minutes, repeated until a winner of the game is decided.
• Each over time is started according to the possession arrow.
• Team fouls are counted including the second half.
• No new time outs are given but any unused time out from the second half may be used.
• The game clock will be stopped according to the rules of the last 3 minutes of the game.

Easy Basket (U11–U12)

●      Playing time: 4x6 minutes. The game clock is never stopped, 1 minute between quarters.

●      Timeouts:No timeouts

●      Players:5 players on court, should be at least 7 players in the roster. All players need to play at least 1 quarter and not play at least one quarter. If a team has less than 7 players eligible to play they would need to play one, or more, quarters with fewer players. 

●      Fouls: 4 personal foul per player. Team fouls are not counted or penalised.
A disqualified player (D-foul, not GD or F), team member or coach may not participate in the next game.

●      Substitution: Only between periods or in the case of injury. A player who substitutes an injured player is regarded as having played also that quarter.

●      Ball size: Size 5. 

●      Height of baskets : 260 cm

●      Scoring:

• No three pointers
• Foul during unsuccessful act of shooting: 1 point and continue with possession
• Foul during successful act of shooting: 3 points, possession given to opposing team
• Unsportsmanlike or technical foul: 1 point and throw in from throw in line in the team’s front court.

●      Back court violation: Disregarded

●      8 second violation : Disregarded

●      Steals: Permitted to steal the ball from another player who is holding it

●      Defence:

• No zone defence. If the opposing team is playing with less than 5 players two players need to play man-man defence on the same player.
• No full court defence for a team that is up by more than 20 points
• Penalty for incorrect defence: First time official warning, second time B-technical foul on the coach.

●      Over time:

• 1x2 minutes, repeated until a winner of the game is decided.
• Each over time is started according to the possession arrow.

●      Shot clock : The shot clock is unobserved, but the referee can signal for 10 seconds left of the offense if a team, in the judgement of the referee, is deliberately delaying the game or if the ball does not touch the basket in due time

Protests

According to FIBA rules a team can protest the result of a game if:

1.  An error in scorekeeping, timekeeping or shot clock operations, which the referees were authorised to correct as provided in the FIBA rules and had access to verifiable evidence* available at the time of the decision to correct the error under article 44 (Correctable errors) but failed to do so. 

2. A decision to forfeit, cancel, postpone, not resume or not play the game. 

3. A violation of the applicable eligibility rules (licensing rules)

*Verifiable evidence : Since Lundaspelen isn’t played with IRS but all games are recorded it will be considered enough if:  

●      a team notified the score table AND the referees of the error within the time stated under article 44 (Correctable errors), 

●      the referees failed to adjust the error,

●      the team can afterwards provide evidence that proves, without doubt, that the error occurred

Register a protest

●      Notify the court official present in the gym no later than 15 minutes after the game has ended . The court official is then responsible for documenting the protest and notifying the tournament office.

●      If the protest is regarding an error in scorekeeping, timekeeping or shot clock operations; provide the tournament office with a clear description of the situation in question and verifiable evidence no later than 60 minutes after the game has ended (either recording or information about at what time in the live stream the error can be verified).
Email this to: lundaspelenbball@gmail.com

●      Pay the fee of 500 SEK either to the court official present in the gym or to the tournament office no later than 60 minutes after the game has ended (the fee is refunded if the protest stands).

Protest handling

●      When all above is fulfilled the tournament jury will review the protest and, if relevant, the evidence. The jury will decide if the protest goes through and if the game should be replayed, or in case of a protest due to a player not meeting the licensing criteria, that team should be eliminated.

●      If the protest regards an error in scorekeeping, timekeeping or shot clock operations that is clearly visible in the provided evidence the protest will go through and the game will be replayed. If there is a clear timing of when the error happened the game will be replayed from that point , using the points and the fouls as they were at that time. If this is not possible the full game will be replayed. The tournament office will inform both teams as soon as possible when the replay of the game has been scheduled.

●      The jury’s decision cannot be overruled. 

Members of the tournament jury

●      Sara Månsson – FIBA-referee and head of referees in Lundaspelen

●      Caroline Svensson – Swedish national referee and head of referees in Lundaspelen

●      Peter Kozak – Lundaspelen committee

Questions during the tournament:
 Tournament office:
  +46 46 15 94 94
  lundaspelenbball@gmail.com