The Revolution Is Here, World Cup Rules Are Changing

The summer’s biggest tournament is arriving, and with it come changes to the laws of football that are likely to stay with us for the foreseeable future. From the enormous power that will be in the hands of VAR, through the division into quarters under water-break rules, to the laws inspired by Vinicius and the Africa Cup of Nations, Sports 5 Published: 11.06.26, 21:48 Photo: Sports 5

The 2026 World Cup is approaching at giant strides, and with it football will change. The biggest event the beautiful game has to offer brings a few changes each time, but this year they appear to be the broadest yet, including an attempt to fight time-wasting on the pitch. At the same time, in an almost ironic twist, a change to VAR is also expected.

We have seen such changes at every World Cup, or in the wake of World Cups. The weak 1990 World Cup probably changed football, for example by changing the law that allowed a goalkeeper to handle the ball, and over time we saw other changes such as the introduction of spray to mark the wall’s boundary on set pieces. This time, the changes appear to be significantly larger. What will happen? We are here to make sense of it.

The main changes

Substituted players will have to leave the pitch within 10 seconds. There will be a five-second limit for the goalkeeper to handle the ball and for throw-ins. Players receiving medical treatment on the pitch will be required to leave it and wait one minute before returning.

VAR revolution

Perhaps the most significant changes are in the video refereeing system that has transformed football since its introduction at the 2018 World Cup. Today, the situations VAR can check are limited to goals, penalties and red-card offenses, and it cannot, for example, review second yellow-card offenses. We saw VAR almost decide a title race in England in the wild match between West Ham and Arsenal earlier this month, and that will continue this time as well.

According to FIFA’s official announcement, VAR will be able to review a second yellow card starting with the upcoming World Cup, and alert the referees in the event of an error in identifying the wrong player. Incorrect corners may also be reviewed, but only in cases where there is no delay during the match.

Here we are dealing with a dilemma that perhaps defines football’s laws in the coming years. On one hand, there is the desire for justice, through video referees watching what happens on the pitch, and perhaps in the distant future, artificial intelligence entering as an assistant to the VAR referee. On the other hand, there is the desire to speed up the game. We have seen VAR checks lasting four and five minutes. Once VAR can intervene in cases of a second yellow card, we may enter a gray area, as part of the approach every football fan knows, a first-yellow offense is not necessarily a second-yellow offense. Will this lead to longer delays? It might. On the other hand, it will lead to fairness.

At the same time, there will be water breaks in every World Cup match because of the weather in the United States. We saw something similar with extreme climate conditions that led to the postponement of matches in the Club World Cup held last year in the United States. The match will actually be “divided” into quarters, with three-minute water breaks in the middle of each half, regardless of the weather and even in matches played under a closed roof. This is an attempt at uniformity, and considering global warming, it may become the standard in football. Some argued that this is an American move, similar to basketball or football, which are played in four quarters.

The tactical impact is fascinating, especially since coaches will of course not be forbidden from speaking to the players. Will we see teams preparing in advance for 21 minutes of football in one way and making adjustments on the pitch for the next 21 minutes before halftime? Creative coaches like Thomas Tuchel in England or Luis de la Fuente in Spain have surely thought about it. After the group stage we will know more, and it is likely to become a standard in football. There will still technically be two halves, but the break between them will be similar to the one between quarters in basketball games.

The “Vinicius law”

As part of the fight against racism and under the influence of the ugly incidents from the match between Real Madrid and Benfica Lisbon in the Champions League, it was approved that referees will be able to send off players who speak while covering their mouths, in an attempt to prevent racism. For us, the fans, this may provide a glimpse into the players’ lives. If in the past Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, for example, spoke to each other while covering their mouths, this time they will be required to show us what was said. The two, incidentally, will also face each other in the group stage of the 2026 World Cup.

The “Senegal law”

In the most recent Africa Cup of Nations, Senegal players left the pitch in protest over a referee’s decision to award a penalty against them, which Brahim Diaz missed. They returned and won the Africa Cup of Nations. Starting with the upcoming World Cup, this will lead to a technical loss. The moment the players abandon the match, each of them will receive a red card. A team that abandons the match, with five red cards automatically leading to a technical loss, will lose 3-0.

How does this affect us? Time will tell.

In practice, these are revolutionary changes, with the biggest emphasis, for better and worse, on the amount of net time in each match. We will follow closely throughout the tournament. Beyond that, the tactical changes are fascinating. If water breaks become a necessity in every match, which may be inevitable, we may indeed see teams changing formations more noticeably during halves. As with every major tournament, football may not look the same afterward.

World Cup 2026

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