Explanation of the changes in football law in the run-up to the 2026 World Cup

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has announced a series of ground-breaking rule changes that will come into effect ahead of this summer’s World Cup, with the overarching objectives of tackling discrimination, reducing time wastage, increasing the pace of matches and improving the fan and player experience.

“We are trying to clean up the game as much as possible,” Pierluigi Collina, chairman of FIFA’s refereeing committee, told reporters.

Among the changes will be:

• A red card for covering the mouth in a confrontational situation
• A red card for leaving the field of play in protest against a match official’s decision
• VAR to cancel wrongly awarded corners
• Changes in the handling rules on the field

Collina is leading the implementation, while the 170 World Cup officials will take part in a final preparatory seminar in Miami on Tuesday.

All 48 national team coaches were involved in a workshop to detail the law changes – which for the World Cup also include a three-minute cool-down break of 22 minutes in each half – and each player will receive the same explanation before the tournament starts on June 11.

Coaches and players will also receive updated guidance on what handball entails, with video clips covering all possible scenarios, although Collina admitted this was not the “100 percent answer” as the slightest difference can be interpreted differently by different referees.

The Athletics explains what to expect and how the new rules could shape the World Cup and beyond.

Red card for covering one’s mouth during a confrontation

Any player who covers his mouth in a confrontation situation may receive a red card.

Players can still cover their mouths when speaking normally, but banning this action during disagreements is intended to eliminate plausible deniability for players accused of making discriminatory comments while their mouths are hidden.

In April, Benfica midfielder Gianluca Prestianni was handed a six-match ban by UEFA, European football’s governing body, for making a homophobic comment against Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior during a Champions League match in February.

The Brazilian claimed Prestianni had racially abused him, which Prestianni denied when the Argentine’s jersey was pulled over his mouth.

“If it’s a friendly conversation, they can continue it without any problems,” Collina explains.

“We respect that there are players who are friends and it is normal to chat before, during or after the match. If it is confrontational, it is a completely different story. If you cover your mouth you are doing something that is potentially very wrong.”

“This is something you do on purpose,” Collina added. “It’s not something a player can do instinctively.”

Leaving the field in protest against a match official’s decision

Senegal walked off the pitch during January’s Africa Cup of Nations final against Morocco when the home side were awarded a controversial injury-time penalty.

Head coach Pape Thiaw encouraged his players to leave the field in protest and the match only resumed after a 16-minute delay. Senegal went on to win the match on penalties, but in March the result was overturned when Africa’s governing body, the Central African Confederation (CAF), cited the mass exit as an offense deserving a 3–0 forfeit. Senegal is appealing the ruling.

Most Senegal players walked off the pitch in protest during the Africa Cup of Nations final (Sebastien Bozon/AFP via Getty Images)

IFAB has given referees the power to show a red card to any player who leaves the field in protest against a match official’s decision, or to any team official who urges players to leave the field. A team that causes a match to be abandoned will in principle lose the match.

VAR to cancel wrongly awarded corners

When the IFAB first introduced VAR during the Confederations Cup in 2017, its jurisdiction was limited to goals, penalties, red cards and mistaken identity on red cards.

After nine years, the scope of the technology has now been expanded. There are three new situations in which VAR can intervene:

• Judging on clearly incorrect second yellow cards
• Mistaken identity on yellow and red cards, if committed by another player from either team
• Wrongly awarded corners – although this does not apply to reversing a goal kick that should have been a corner

Collina emphasized that a corner can only be reversed if it can be corrected immediately by the VAR without delaying the restart. There is no strict deadline for making a decision.

“It’s about how long it takes to take a corner,” said Collina.

“They are not often taken immediately because they need defenders coming from the other side, so it takes time. From our point of view it is not understandable that the corner was given incorrectly, but it is taken.”

“I want to be very clear, we are not delaying anything. We do not need an assessment from the referee. It is a fact that becomes clear before they take the corner and we change the decision.”

Referee Michael Salisbury checks the VAR monitor on the pitch (Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

One of Collina’s objectives is to increase the pace of the game, but for the section of spectators who are against VAR in principle, they may see its increasing powers as additional disruption.

“I would ask those passionate football fans if they would be happy if their team or national team lost an important match because of this. Would they be happy and say, ‘Okay, we lost because of a foul corner, but we accept it because it is written that VAR cannot intervene’. Or would they prefer the right decision to be made?”

However, the rule may face logistical challenges. The attacking team, knowing it was a questionable decision, could have taken the corner too short to avoid any checks as VAR has been instructed not to delay the match.

There is also the challenge for defenders who have gone forward, expecting a corner, but suddenly have to turn back when a goal kick is given.

Attempts to prevent time wasting

The eight-second rule for goalkeepers introduced at the start of the season is considered a great success by the IFAB.

Referees give a five-second visual warning by raising their hand and goalkeepers know they only have a few seconds to clear the ball from their hands or risk being awarded a corner. The IFAB extends the principle to goal kicks and throw-ins, with the aim of minimizing time wastage.

If it is felt that a goalkeeper is deliberately delaying the restart, the referee will start a similar five-second countdown and if the ball is not released within that time, a corner kick may be awarded to the opponent. The countdown applies to throw-ins, where the penalty is a throw-in to the opponent from the same spot.

“We don’t expect that there will be many throw-ins or corner kicks, we expect the players to respect the given limits,” said Colina, who did not rule out time limits for corner kicks and free kicks in the future but stressed that context would be taken into account.

“At corners there is a kind of ceremonial (time delay) because the central defenders come from the other side, which takes time,” Collina said.

“We trust the referees to be proactive and deal with these possible delays in the normal way. I would like to highlight another scenario: a player may come from far away for a long throw into the penalty area. Some more time may be given if the team needs this player to get the ball.”

There will also be a time limit on substituted players leaving the field, which Collina said has been very effective since its introduction to MLS.

Substituted players have 10 seconds to leave the field or the nearest part of the perimeter. The referee may show the five-second countdown to enforce the rule. If this is not observed, the opposing team may only enter the field at the first interruption after a minute of play has elapsed.

Exceptions apply for injured players, or if there are safety or security reasons that make leaving a certain part of the field unsafe.

Treatment delay in the field

Players requiring on-field treatment from medical staff must leave the field of play for one minute after the restart, with notable exceptions.

This includes: an injury to a goalkeeper; a goaltender and an outfielder have collided and need attention; players from the same team have collided and need attention; there is a head injury or concussion; a player is injured as a result of a yellow or red card violation; or a penalty has been awarded and the injured player is the taker.

Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez receives treatment during a match against Nottingham Forest earlier this month (Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)

Notably, no new rule has been introduced to address the trend of goalkeepers going down for treatment, a delaying tactic sometimes used to give their manager a chance to have an impromptu team talk.

A workshop on this topic was held with all 48 competing countries at the last IFAB meeting in March. “I’m afraid we haven’t come to a solution that everyone agrees on,” Collina said.

“We told them that referees will be proactive and will not allow the two teams to go to the bench if a goalkeeper is injured. He has the right to get injured, but the players do not have the right to a timeout. Something will definitely be done in the future.”

VAR and fouls before set pieces

For the World Cup, the IFAB has also approved a clarification of the VAR protocol regarding clear fouls committed by the attacking team before the ball is in play on a corner kick or free kick and which have a direct impact on a goal, penalty or disciplinary sanction.

If the foul meets the criteria set out in the commentary, VAR will recommend an on-field review after which – if the referee determines that a foul has occurred before the ball was in play – appropriate disciplinary action will be taken and the corner kick or free kick will be retaken.

Before a decision is made on its wider application, the clarification will be assessed after the tournament.

The laws dictated that fouls that preceded the ball becoming live could not be penalized. However, Collina identified this as a loophole and cited Adam Wharton’s illegal block against Uruguay, which led to Ben White’s goal for England in March, as an example of what they hoped to eradicate.

“I don’t think any of you would be happy if a goal were scored as a result of a foul that was committed and the reason for this is that VAR cannot intervene because of the protocol,” Collina said.

“Let’s figure this out and see what the next step can be. Changing a bad corner decision and a foul by an attacker is a good step forward.”