FIFA has approved five rule changes for the 2026 World Cup targeting time-wasting and expanding VAR – but not everyone is convinced they’ll have the intended effect
FIFA has confirmed five new rules for the 2026 World Cup after the International Football Association Board (IFAB) approved a package of measures at its 140th Annual General Meeting designed to enhance match tempo and reduce time-wasting. The changes will apply across all competitions from 1 July 2026, with the World Cup adopting them early when it kicks off on 11 June 2026.
A timed substitution rule, originally devised by MLS, is now been adopted globally. Players being replaced must leave the pitch within 10 seconds or their replacement waits a full minute before entering, leaving the team short.
Throw-ins and goal kicks face a five-second limit to restart, with possession handed to the opposition for any delay. Players receiving on-pitch treatment must also leave and wait one minute before returning, with the sole exception being injuries caused by a foul that led to a card for an opposing player.
The Premier League had been trialling a 30-second period, but some within IFAB did not feel this was long enough to serve as a deterrent. Other competitions had tested longer periods, with two minutes trialled at last year’s Arab Cup.
Speaking to ESPN, former Premier League referee Andy Davies was broadly supportive of the now enforced rule changes. He argued the only real tool officials previously had was the yellow card – one they were reluctant to use early in a game for a technical offence – and called the threat of conceding possession from a reversed throw-in “a game changer in the fight against deliberate delaying tactics.”
FIFA grants VAR gets more power – and more scrutiny
VAR will now cover red cards arising from a clearly incorrect second yellow, mistaken identity cases where the referee penalises the wrong player, and – where competitions permit – clearly incorrect corner kick decisions, provided the review does not delay the restart.
Crucially, VAR will only check incorrectly-awarded second yellow cards – it will not advise referees to issue a second yellow where one was not shown on the field.
Corner kick checks are optional rather than mandatory, and lawmakers are adamant they must not delay the kick being taken and will only be used to spot obvious errors.
Speaking after the IFAB AGM in Hensol, Wales, on 28 February 2026, Technical Director David Elleray confirmed the intention for a deep dive into the system, asking: “What do we want from VAR in the future? How do we develop it for the benefit of the game?” The review is expected to span two years.
At the same meeting, English FA CEO Mark Bullingham went further, hinting football could move towards a challenge system, pointing to FIFA’s Football Video Support trials in countries that cannot afford full VAR infrastructure as a potential model worth examining.
There is also a notable loophole in the treatment rules: goalkeepers remain exempt, meaning sides wanting to run down the clock can use their keeper going to ground, leaving referees powerless. IFAB has confirmed further trials on goalkeeper tactical delays are planned.
The fifth change, already familiar from European football, restricts referee access to captains only. Any other player surrounding an official risks a yellow card.
The rules come into effect at the World Cup, which kicks off on 11 June 2026 across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
