In various sports, a forfeit is a method in which a match automatically ends, and the forfeiting team loses.
There are two distinct forms of forfeiture. One occurs when a team is unable (or refuses) to meet the basic standards for playing the game, either before the game begins or as a result of actions that happen during the match. In such a case, the team not forfeiting wins the match. Another is punitive forfeiture, in which a team has been found to have broken the rules of a sanctioning body during a match they have won and must have the results stricken from the record; whether or not the other team receives a win in such a case depends on the rules of that body and/or whether or not they were in compliance with the rules - if neither team was in compliance with the rules and/or the rules do not allow a losing team to be credited for a win in such a manner then the result is either a double forfeit and/or otherwise recorded as a loss for both teams.
Association football
Both teams must have at least seven players at the beginning of the match per the Laws of the Game. When a team has fewer than seven players, the match cannot start or continue. When the number of players in a team falls definitely below seven (e.g. by five players sent off with red cards, or by injured players with no substitutions left, or a combination of both), the match is forfeited. Forfeits are also used as ex post disciplinary sanctions by governing bodies.
A forfeited match is handled differently in various competitions; FIFA Disciplinary Code punishes the team sanctioned with a forfeit with a 3–0 loss (however, the result on the pitch is upheld if the goal difference at the end of the match was three or greater so as to ensure the non-forfeiting team is not unfairly disadvantaged in any potential tiebreakers involving goal difference and/or goals scored).
Forfeited games also could be identified with what is known as a "technical score" like +/-, +:-, where a plus sign (+) signifies a win and a minus sign (-) stands for a loss. Traditionally, technical score is implied as 3:0 score, but earlier in history it also used to be understood as 2:0 score. Beside forfeiture, technical score could be applied for disciplinary sanctions on various of administrative matter such as violence on the field, use of ineligible players, or other reasons. Because it is a "cabinet" score, unless specified in season's (league's) regulations or official executive decision of governing sports organization, the technical score does not necessarily have to carry any numerical value.
Baseball
In rare cases, baseball games are forfeited, usually in the event when a team is no longer able to play.
Basketball
In the basketball rules published by FIBA, a forfeit and a default are two different things.
A team will forfeit if: Fifteen minutes after the scheduled starting time, the team is not present or is unable to field five players ready to play. Its actions prevent the game from being played. It refuses to play after being instructed to do so by the referee. A forfeit results in loss for the offending team by a score of 20−0, and in tournaments that use the FIBA points system for standings, zero points for the match. Furthermore, in FIBA tournaments that use a two-game home-and-away series (two-legged tie) or a best-of-three playoff format, a team that forfeits a game also loses the series by forfeit.
In FIBA tournaments, a team will default if, at any time during a game, they have fewer than two players ready to play (by reason of players being injured with no subs left, fouling out, or being ejected). In this case, the opponents are awarded with a win, and if they are leading, the score at the time of stoppage will be the final score; if they are not leading, they are awarded a 2−0 win. Furthermore, in FIBA tournaments that use a two-game home-and-away series, a team that defaults in either game automatically loses the series by default.
In tournaments and leagues that use winning percentage or number of wins to rank teams, the difference between a loss by forfeit and a loss by default is insignificant, as both are treated as ordinary losses. However, for those that use the FIBA points system, a default is treated like an ordinary loss (as the team earns one point) while a team that forfeited earns zero points.
It is also detrimental in tiebreaking situations as a defaulting team's worst result is the actual score if they were trailing when the game was stopped, or a 2–0 loss if they were leading, while a forfeit is deemed to be a 0–20 loss, which drags down a team's goal average worse than a 0–2 loss would.