From expanded VAR powers to red cards for mouth-covering, football’s lawmakers have approved a raft of measures for FIFA World Cup 2026
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has signed off on a series of significant rule changes ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which kicks off on 11 June across the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The changes were agreed at IFAB’s 140th Annual General Meeting in Hensol, Wales, and will formally become part of the laws of the game from 1 July, though several measures will be applied at the World Cup from the outset.
FIFA‘s Chief Refereeing Officer Pierluigi Collina was reported as saying the package includes “landmark changes”, saying they “aim to tackle discrimination, cut time-wasting, enhance match tempo and improve both the player and fan experience,” as noted by Flashscore.
IFBA broadens VAR scope
IFAB signed off on three changes to VAR protocol. These include:
- Red cards resulting from an incorrect second yellow card
- Cases of mistaken identity
- Corner kicks that have been clearly awarded in error
In such cases, VAR will recommend an on-field review, and if the referee determines that an offence occurred before the ball was in play, the appropriate disciplinary action will be taken and the corner kick or free kick retaken.
Checks on corners are limited to correcting obvious errors and must not delay play.
New conduct rules target discrimination and protest
Players who cover their mouth with their hand, arm or shirt in confrontational situations will receive a red card – a rule prompted in part by the Vinicius Jr incident at Benfica, in which Gianluca Prestianni was accused of directing discriminatory slurs at the Brazilian with his mouth covered. Prestianni was given a six-game suspension by UEFA, with his ban extended worldwide.
The rule highlights intent, though. Players covering their mouths during friendly exchanges with opponents will not be penalised.
A separate rule addressing walk-offs follows Senegal storming off the field in protest at a penalty awarded against them in the Africa Cup of Nations final, before they returned to beat hosts Morocco 1-0 after extra time.
Under the new measures, players who leave the pitch in protest will be shown a red card, and teams whose conduct causes a match to be abandoned will forfeit the game automatically.
Anti-timewasting measures and treatment rules tightened
An extension of the countdown principle to throw-ins and goal-kicks is among the most significant of the new rules.
If the referee considers that a throw-in or goal-kick is being deliberately delayed, a visible five-second countdown will be initiated. Failure to restart before it expires will see possession handed to the opposition – throw-ins turned over, and delayed goal-kicks punished with a corner.
Players will also have just 10 seconds to leave the field once their number is shown on the substitution board. If they fail to do so, the replacement will not be permitted onto the pitch until the next stoppage in play, after at least one minute of play has elapsed.
On the medical side, players receiving on-field injury assessment, or whose injury causes play to stop, will have to leave the pitch once play resumes and remain off for one minute, a policy designed to discourage tactical injury delays. Exceptions apply in the case of goalkeeper injuries, collisions and concussion protocols.
A mandatory three-minute hydration break will be held in each half of every match, scheduled around the halfway point of each period, with referees given some flexibility depending on the flow of the game.
These substantial changes will see their first real test in action when the World Cup kicks off on 11 June.
