- The 2026 World Cup will introduce several new rules in the world of football.
- Time savings will be reduced, while video refereeing interventions could be more numerous.
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2026 World Cup: the Blues in search of a 3rd star
Fifa is preparing to innovate. Like every four years, the start of the World Cup is synonymous with a refreshing change in the rules of football. Eight years after the arrival of VAR, four years after the semi-automatic detection of offside, the world body is modifying its regulations for the North American World Cup. From June 11, the day the planetary event kicks off, some new features in terms of arbitration will come into force.
Among them, greater possibilities for using video arbitration. According to The Team
(nouvelle fenêtre)it will now be possible for the central referee to be judged if he wrongly awarded a corner, if the game did not resume too quickly. The referee will also be able to review an action in the event of a second yellow card leading to an expulsion (this was until now only possible in the event of a direct red card). Additionally, a warning given to a bad player may be reviewed.
An anti-Arsenal rule?
Anti-gambling will also be more easily punished. A replaced player will no longer be able to take his time leaving the field: he will only have ten seconds to cross the touchline, otherwise his team will play outnumbered until the next stoppage in play. The same goes for throw-ins or goal kicks: the team will only have five seconds to take the throw-in, otherwise possession of the ball will be reversed. A way to avoid long seconds of time gain, like what Arsenal achieved during part of the Champions League final (nouvelle fenêtre) against PSG.
Another new feature is the cancellation of yellow cards. With one more match to go until the final, the risk for many players of being suspended during the competition is even greater than usual (two yellow cards in two different matches cause an automatic one-match suspension). To limit it, Fifa decided to reset the yellow card counter to zero at the end of the group stage, and always after the quarter-finals.
Benfica-Real Madrid and the CAN final in mind
Furthermore, after the accusations of racism targeting Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni in the heart of winter in the Champions League, the organizing body of the World Cup wants to avoid this type of case happening again. To do this, it has decided to prohibit hiding one’s mouth during a “confrontational conversation”
with an opponent. Hiding your comments will result in a red card, unless there is discussion. “friendly”
.
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Finally, so that the scenario of the final of the African Cup of Nations does not happen again – Senegal had left the pitch to protest against an arbitration decision against Morocco – Fifa is tightening the rules: leaving the green rectangle without authorization will no longer be worth a yellow card, but a direct red card. This should dissuade people from returning to the locker room earlier than expected.
