Limited time for throw-ins and corners, leaving the field, VAR intervention… The new refereeing rules for the 2026 World Cup

New use of VAR

The latest modification was made on Sunday by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the body which regulates and updates the rules of football. It concerns the intervention of video assistance on “obvious faults committed by the attacking team before the ball is in play during a corner or a free kick and having a direct impact on a goal, a penalty or a disciplinary sanction”.

In these cases, VAR will recommend an on-field check following which, if the referee determines that an infringement has occurred before the ball is in play, the appropriate disciplinary action will be taken and the corner or free kick will be retaken. At the end of the competition, an examination will be carried out to possibly apply it on a larger scale.

Limited times for throw-ins

After the Champions League final won on Saturday by Paris Saint-Germain against Arsenal (1-1, 4-3 tab), several criticisms were addressed to the Gunners, accused of taking excessive time on their throw-ins. These scenes should be absent from the field.

“If the referee considers that a touch or kick is taking too long or is deliberately delayed, a visual countdown of five seconds will be started. If the ball is not in play at the end of the countdown, the throw-in will be awarded to the opposing team, while a delayed kick-out will result in the opposing team being awarded a corner,” the IFAB says.

Team field trip

The final of the last African Cup of Nations between Morocco and Senegal forced international bodies to clarify their regulations. This match, won by Pape Thiaw’s men, was notably marked by the exit from the field of the majority of Senegalese players while a penalty was awarded to the Atlas Lions.

For the next World Cup, the rules were clarified at the end of April by the IFAB: “The referee may sanction with a red card any player who leaves the field to protest against an arbitration decision. This new rule will also apply to any member of staff who encourages players to leave the field. The team which causes the abandonment of a match will, in principle, lose the match by forfeit.”

Prohibition of hiding one’s mouth to insult the opponent

Another controversy prompted the IFAB to review its regulations. During the Champions League play-off first leg between Real Madrid and Benfica last March, Gianluca Prestianni was accused of calling Vinicius a “monkey” by covering his mouth with his jersey. The referee interrupted the match for ten minutes and the player was then suspended for the second leg by UEFA, who opened an investigation.

From now on, “any player covering his mouth during a confrontation with an opponent may be punished with a red card,” the authority said. However, “if it’s a friendly conversation, they can continue without any problem,” explained Pierluigi Collina, chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee.

But also…

The player must leave the field in less than 10 seconds during a substitution. Otherwise, the substitute will only be allowed to return at the next stoppage of play after at least one minute of play.