Insights · Reference
Sports Court & Ground Dimensions
Every court and ground on this page is drawn from the current edition of its governing body’s rules — AKFI, BWF, FIBA, FIVB, IHF, ITF, USA Pickleball, World Squash, IFAB and FIFA, FIH, MCC and the ICC, World Athletics and World Aquatics. Each sport has its own guide with a to-scale diagram, every marking, the run-off and height a building needs, and the outdated figures to avoid. Several of these documents changed during 2026, so the editions are stated throughout.
All sports at a glance
| Sport | Playing area | Space around it | Clear height | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kabaddi | 13 × 10 m men (12 × 8 m women; 11 × 8 m sub-junior) | 4 m beyond the side lines | — | AKFI Rules V2.1.0 |
| Badminton | 13.40 × 6.10 m | By event level (BWF facility spec) | By event level (BWF facility spec) | BWF Laws V5.0 (2025) |
| Basketball | 28 × 15 m | 2 m all round (floor 32 × 19 m) | 7 m | FIBA Rules 2026 |
| Volleyball | 18 × 9 m | 3 m (5 m sides · 6.5 m ends, FIVB) | 7 m (12.5 m, FIVB) | FIVB Rules 2025–28 |
| Handball | 40 × 20 m | 1 m sides · 2 m ends (recommended) | — | IHF Rules (2025) |
| Tennis | 23.77 × 10.97 m | 6.40 m ends · 3.66 m sides (international, recommended) | 9 m surface to ceiling at the net (indoor) | ITF Rules 2026 |
| Pickleball | 13.41 × 6.10 m (44 × 20 ft) | Area 30 × 60 ft min. · 34 × 64 ft rec. | — | USA Pickleball 2026 |
| Squash | 9.75 × 6.40 m | Enclosed court | 5.64 m (less at the walls) | WSF court specifications |
| Football | 90–120 × 45–90 m (105 × 68 m recommended) | 5 m ends · 4 m sides (larger stadiums) | — | IFAB Laws 2026/27 · FIFA Stadium Guidelines |
| Hockey | 91.40 × 55.00 m | 5 m ends · 3 m sides (recommended) | — | FIH Rules (Mar 2026) · FIH facilities guidance |
| Cricket | Pitch 20.12 × 3.05 m; boundary 59.43–82.29 m (men’s int’l) | 2.74 m beyond the rope | — | MCC Laws 2026 · ICC 2026 |
| Athletics | 400 m track, 176.91 × 92.52 m (8 lanes) | ≥1 m obstacle-free zone inside (required) and outside (recommended) | — | World Athletics Facilities Manual (2019) |
| Swimming | 50 × 25 m, ≥2.5 m deep (Olympic) | — | — | World Aquatics CR (Feb 2026) |
Run-off and height figures apply to the competition levels stated in each guide; several are recommendations rather than requirements. Each guide gives the clause.
From court size to building size
The playing dimensions are the smallest part of a facility. A building or site is sized in layers, and skipping one does not save space — it defers the discovery that there is not enough:
- Playing area — the published court or field, at the competition level the client intends to host.
- Run-off and free zones — the obstacle-free band each governing body sets around the playing area, which grows with level.
- Spacing — between adjacent courts, and between courts and walls, nets, benches and spectators.
- Clear height — set by the sport that plays highest; in a multi-use hall that is usually volleyball or badminton.
- Everything else — circulation, spectators, changing, storage, plant, parking and the land held for the next phase.
In a multi-use hall, one sport sets the floor and another the section: handball or basketball typically decides the length and width, volleyball or badminton the height. We explain the method in How Much Land Does a Sports Complex Need? and Planning an Indoor Sports Hall.
Why only governing-body figures
Court dimensions are copied from site to site, and errors travel with them — old three-point lines, superseded pool depths, run-offs that were recommendations presented as rules. We take every figure from the governing body’s current document and say which edition. Several changed recently:
- FIBA Official Basketball Rules 2026 — in force from 1 October 2026 (court unchanged).
- MCC Laws of Cricket, 2017 Code 4th Edition (2026) — in force from 1 October 2026 (pitch and creases unchanged).
- IFAB Laws of the Game 2026/27 — in force from 1 July 2026 (Law 1 unchanged).
- FIH Rules of Hockey — edition effective March 2026.
- World Aquatics Competition Regulations — February 2026; pool rules are in §15, with a 2.5 m minimum depth for Olympic and World Championship pools.
- BWF Laws of Badminton V6.0 — takes effect on 4 January 2027; the court is unchanged.
Kho-kho
Kho-kho playing areas are set by the Kho-Kho Federation of India and, for international formats, the International Kho Kho Federation; the game is played in more than one format and outdated figures are widespread, so take dimensions from the current federation rulebook. Kabaddi has its own guide: Kabaddi Ground Measurement. Our planning notes for both sports are in Kabaddi & Kho-Kho Arena Design.
Using these guides on a project
These pages are reference material for briefs and feasibility. Before construction, the competition level, the governing body’s current edition and any national or local requirements should be confirmed for the specific project — which is the work we do at concept stage.
If you are planning a facility, send us a brief: we will test the facility mix against your site and show it in 3D before anything is committed.
Sources
- AKFI — Rules & Regulations of All Forms of Kabaddi, Version 2.1.0
- BWF — Laws of Badminton (Statutes, Section 4.1)
- FIBA — Official Basketball Rules 2026
- FIVB — Official Volleyball Rules 2025–2028
- IHF — Rules of the Game (Indoor Handball)
- ITF — Rules of Tennis 2026
- USA Pickleball — Official Rulebook 2026
- World Squash — Court construction
- IFAB — Laws of the Game 2026/27
- FIH — Rules of Hockey
- MCC — Laws of Cricket
- ICC — Playing conditions
- World Athletics — Technical information
- World Aquatics — Competition Regulations
Figures checked against these documents on 2 Oct 2026. Where a figure is our own arithmetic from official values, the text says so.
RelatedDesign by Sport · How Much Land Does a Sports Complex Need? · Planning an Indoor Sports Hall · Sports Facility Planning