An expanded field of teams participating (from 32 to 48) won’t be the only thing that’s different about the upcoming FIFA World Cup, which New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium will be at the center of.
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) is implementing several rule changes centered around improving the accuracy of the decisions that can affect the outcomes of the 104 games that are slated to be played from June 11 to July 19 across Canada, Mexico and the United States.
These changes will not only go into effect for this summer’s World Cup but in leagues around the world come the start of the 2026-27 season.
Let’s learn about all the rule changes made ahead of this summer’s grand tournament.
Continued Growth of VAR
Video Assistant Referee (VAR) made its major tournament debut at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and was formally written into the laws of international soccer by IFAB in March of 2018.
To this point, VAR has only been used to review three types of situations: penalty kicks, goals, and direct red cards.
Starting with the upcoming World Cup, VAR will be used to review four more situations:
- An incorrectly awarded corner kick
- An incorrectly awarded second yellow card
- Mistaken Identity
- When a player is punished with a card for a foul committed by another player
- Attacking fouls that happen before play has started
Corner kicks, sending players off, and punishing the wrong player all have the potential to affect games, or even decide them, so it was important for FIFA to start using VAR to make sure those decisions are made with the utmost accuracy. However, VAR takes time, and this will result in games being interrupted by VAR reviews and more stoppage time at the end of games.
Players Can’t Cover Mouths
Any player who covers their mouth with an hand, arm, or shirt during a confrontation with an opponent will be punished with a red card.
According to ESPN, this rule was put in place “stop potential racist comments from being hidden from view.” It was also stated that friendly banter is permitted but as soon as the referee deems it confrontational it may result in a straight red card. Expect this one to raise eyebrows as it will be the referee’s discretion whether or not banter between opposing players is confrontational or not. FIFA is establishing that there is no tolerance for racism in soccer.
Timed Substitutions
Players being subbed off the field now have 10 seconds to exit the field. If they fail to, the player being subbed into the game will have to wait at least one minute until the next stoppage in play to come into the game, forcing their team to play with 10 men.
5-Second Restart
We’ve all seen the goalkeeper on the side that is winning, take his or her time restarting the play on a goal-kick. This rule involves the referee instigating a 5-second countdown when they deem a player is taking too long with a throw-in or goal-kick. The referee will raise their arm to start the 5-second countdown, and if play hasn’t restarted at the end of it, then possession will be reversed.
If it’s a throw-in then another throw-in will be awarded to the opponents. If it’s a goal kick then a corner will be awarded to the opponents.
Expect this rule to be followed to a tee, as teams will not want to give up possession deep in their half or corners which always have the potential to alter games.
Injuries Treated off the Field
Any outfield player injured badly enough to require treatment from medical staff will have to leave the field for one minute and his team will play with 10 men.
There will be exceptions for goalkeepers, severe injuries, and certain foul situations, but we won’t see outfield players being treated for injuries on the field, which helps to speed games up and not interrupt the flow of the game.
However, regarding this rule adjustment, former Select Group referee, Andy Davies said via ESPN: “I don’t like this new law: One minute is too long for a player to wait to come back on to the pitch with their team down to 10 players, and it unfairly disadvantages them. The Premier League has used a 30-second rule, which worked well with over 70% fewer players treated on the pitch. I don’t think fans will like this change and it feels unnecessary.”
No Tactical Timeouts during Goalkeeper Injuries
In the past, players have been allowed to go over to see their manager in the “technical area” on the sidelines while a goalkeeper is being treated for an injury. That is no more, as players will be told to stay on the field, however, there will be no disciplinary action for those who don’t abide by this rule.
Players Walking off the Field
Players who leave the field of play in protest of a referee decision will be shown a straight red card. The same applies for team staff who tell players to leave the field. If an entire team leaves the field and the game has to be abandoned, the team that caused it will forfeit the game. It would be unprecedented for a world cup game to be abandoned due to a team protesting.
However, at the 1982 World Cup, the President of the Kuwaiti Football Federation ran onto the field and threatened to pull his players off in protest of a goal scored by Kuwait’s opponent, France. A whistle had been blown from the stands and the Kuwaiti players had thought the referee had blown play dead, so they stopped playing and France scored a goal. The referee acceded to the Kuwaiti Football official’s demands and the goal was disallowed and the game went on.
At the 2026 African Cup of Nations final between Senegal and Morocco, the Senegalese team walked off the field in protest of a disallowed goal and a penalty that both went against them in the second half. In response, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) appeal board ruled that Senegal had forfeited the game through their actions, setting a strong precedent that protesting in the age of VAR and abandoning matches will not be tolerated.
Hydration Breaks
Three minutes will be alotted in each half for a hydration break. The breaks will occur around the 22nd minute of each half. This is a logical safety precaution especially in preparation of the extreme heat expected during the games played in southern cities throughout the U.S. and Mexico.
The only criticism that Davies has of this rule is that, it defeats the purpose of getting rid of the tactical timeouts teams get away with having during goalkeeper injuries. Now, managers will be able to give instructions to their players during these hydration breaks.
World Cup Final to feature Halftime Show
For the first time ever, a Super Bowl-like concert will occur during the halftime break of the World Cup final on July 19.
ESPN reports that officials maintain that the concert will be “significantly shorter than the 15-minute mark.”
This seems like it will be difficult to pull off, but the fans who paid top dollar to attend the final should be given a little extra entertainment during halftime, so kudos to FIFA for going through with this.
Final Thoughts
These rule changes are very sensible. Especially, the continued growth of VAR, as human error and the inability of the referee to see everything on a big soccer field have been the culprits of goals being disallowed at previous World Cups. It will be to everyone’s benefit that a questionable corner kick is reviewed promptly and the right decision made, as well as it being necessary to deter racist comments made by players.
The highly anticipated 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off this Thursday at 3 p.m. ET in Mexico City when Mexico face South Africa in Group A action.
