Israeli Premier League Implements New Match Timing and Substitution Rules Starting Tomorrow

The 2026/27 Israeli Premier League season officially begins tomorrow, July 16, with the Super Cup match between Hapoel Be'er Sheva, the league champion, and Maccabi Tel Aviv, the State Cup holder. Ahead of the season opener, Ziv Adler, chairman of the referees' professional committee, revealed in an interview on "5 BaAvir" several new officiating rules that will take effect immediately, having been trialed during the 2026 World Cup.

Adler explained that the responsibility for ball retrievers or cones will be determined by each league management, expressing hope that this will be adopted in the league. Key changes include a strict five-second limit for throw-ins; if the ball is not thrown in within five seconds, possession will switch to the opposing team. This rule also applies to free kicks, with failure to execute within five seconds resulting in a corner kick for the opponent.

Additionally, if a player is injured and treated on the field without the opposing player receiving a card for the foul, the injured player must remain off the pitch for a full minute of game time. Another significant change concerns substitutions: once the substitution signal is given, the player being replaced must leave the field from the nearest point within 10 seconds. If not, the substitute can only enter during a stoppage and after at least one minute has passed, leaving the team temporarily one player short. Adler believes this will encourage quicker player movement during substitutions.

These adjustments aim to increase the actual playing time and improve game flow, reflecting innovations introduced at the World Cup. The Israeli Premier League will be the first domestic competition to implement these rules starting with tomorrow's season kickoff.