The New Rules to be Implemented in the 2026 World Cup

The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) announced on its website a set of new amendments that will be implemented in the 2026 World Cup, aimed at developing the arbitration system and reducing refereeing controversies during the tournament.

The 2026 World Cup is scheduled to start on June 11 and will continue until July 19.

Here are the most prominent new rules that will be applied in the World Cup:

▪️ Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology can now intervene in cases of incorrectly awarding a second yellow card, mistaken player identity, and situations where a yellow or red card is shown to the wrong player.

▪️ Video technology will be able to cancel wrongly awarded corner kicks if the review can be completed immediately without delaying the resumption of play.

▪️ Any player who deliberately covers their mouth during an altercation with an opponent will be shown a red card.

▪️ Players receiving treatment on the field must stay off the field for one minute before returning, except for goalkeepers, head injuries, concussions, offenses resulting in a warning, and penalty takers.

▪️ Substitute players are given 10 seconds to leave the field, and if they exceed this limit, their replacement must wait until the next stoppage and at least one minute of play must have passed.

▪️ A five-second countdown will be applied to players who delay the resumption of play, and if play is not resumed within the specified time, possession will be awarded to the opposing team. If this occurs during a goal kick, the opposing team will be awarded a corner kick.

▪️ Yellow cards will be canceled after the group stage and again after the quarter-finals to reduce suspensions resulting from the accumulation of warnings.

▪️ A mandatory three-minute cooling break will be applied in each half.