FIFA has confirmed new rules for the 2026 World Cup and the idea is simple: cut time-wasting, keep the game moving, and make decisions clearer.
First, throw-ins and goal kicks now have a five-second countdown. If a player deliberately holds the ball or walks slowly to delay the restart, the referee can take the throw or goal kick away and give it to the other team.
For goal kicks, if the team wastes time, the punishment is even sharper – the other side gets a corner.
Substitutions also get stricter. A player being taken off has just 10 seconds to leave the pitch at the nearest point. If they drag their feet, their replacement cannot come on for at least one minute and the team must play with 10 men during that time.
Players who need treatment from the physio will have to stay off the field for 60 seconds before coming back on. The rule is meant to stop fake injuries used to break up play. There are exceptions though. Goalkeepers, serious injuries, and cases where the opponent gets booked or sent off will not be forced off for the full minute.
There is a new red card rule for confrontation too. Any player who covers their mouth while arguing or talking to an opponent can be sent off. The rule targets secret insults and abuse that cameras and mics might miss.
VAR is getting small but important tweaks. It can now quickly check if a corner was awarded correctly, but the check must happen before the ball is kicked. And for red cards, VAR can review the second yellow that led to a sending-off. If that second yellow is clearly wrong, it can be overturned. However, VAR will not look at possible second yellows that the referee missed – it only reviews the one that actually resulted in a red card.
