2026 World Cup rules: VAR, substitutions, new Changes

The 2026 World Cup is about to begin.

And long with an expanded field of 48 nations, some new rules are being implemented.

Here are all the rule changes you need to know ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

VAR changes at 2026 World Cup

Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, the IFAB announced a host of changes regarding the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).

These changes not only address what happens during play, but also what happens during confrontations between players during a stoppage.

The first new rule is that VAR will be used to check every decision that results in a corner kick. However, under guidance from the IFAB, intervention is only allowed “if the decision can be changed immediately and without delaying the restart.”

It will be interesting to see how that timeframe is interpreted at the various matches these next few weeks, but we digress …

In addition, VAR will be utilized to examine situations where a player is assessed a second yellow card, resulting in a red card. According to the IFAB guidelines, VAR may review “an incorrect red card resulting from a clearly wrong second yellow card.”

VAR will also be used in cases of “mistaken identity.” When a player is given a yellow or a red card, but the infraction was committed by another player, VAR will be used. Specifically, the IFAB guidance reads that VAR will be used to review “a player wrongly being shown a red or yellow card when the offense was committed by another player of either team.“ (Emphasis added).

VAR will also be used to examine attacking fouls before play is started. Termed a “clarification” by the IFAB, this change extends the window for assessing goals or penalties that follow a set piece. Video officials will be encouraged to check for any infraction prior to the set piece being taken — while play was stopped — and if the incident is determined to have a “direct impact” on the outcome, there can be intervention.

According to The Guardian, what officials will be looking for is grappling in the box prior to corners and free kicks. The Guardian pointed to a potential missed foul committed by Adam Wharton in the moments ahead of a corner kick during a recent friendly between England and Uruguay as an example infraction.

Cover your mouth … only when coughing

Under the new rules for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, any player who covers their mouth “in a confrontational situation” with their hand, arm, or shirt will be shown a red card.

This rule is an attempt to stop potential racist, homophobic, or other abusive language from being hidden from view. In a recent Champions League match, Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni used his shirt to hide his mouth during a confrontation with Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior. Real Madrid asserted that Prestianni used racist language, and the Benfica midfielder later admitted to using homophobic remarks.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino personally called for actions such as this to result in a red card.

“If a player covers his mouth and says something, and this has a racist consequence, then he has to be sent off, obviously,” Infantino told Sky News.

“There must be a presumption that he has said something he shouldn’t have said, otherwise he wouldn’t have had to cover his mouth.”

Stay on the pitch, or else

Another new rule could see players or officials penalized if they leave the field of play to protest a referee’s decision. This comes in the wake of the final match of the Africa Cup of Nations, where Senegal coach Pape Thiaw and some of his players walked off the field following a penalty being given against them.

Under this rule, any player or official who “leaves the field of play in protest at a referee’s decision” can be assessed a red card.

Quicker substitutions

In an effort to speed up games, and perhaps punish teams using delaying tactics late in matches, any player being substituted must leave the pitch within ten seconds of the substitution being announced on the referee’s board. If the time limit is exceeded, then the substituting player cannot enter the match until the first stoppage after one minute has elapsed.

Quicker restarts

In a similar vein, the referee now has the discretion to instigate a five-second “visual” countdown prior to a throw-in or a goal kick. If a referee believes that a player is taking too long on a throw-in or goal kick, they can instigate a five-second countdown, at the end of which the team will be penalized.

If the referee starts such a countdown, they will raise their hand to signal that the five-second countdown has begun. If the ball is not in play by the time the five-second countdown is over, then possession will flip between the teams. In the case of a throw-in, the other team will be awarded a throw-in at that spot. In the case of a goal kick, the other team will be awarded a corner.

Injured players returning to the field

Any outfield players who are treated by medical staff on the pitch now much remain off the field for at least one minute following the resumption of the match.

There are exceptions for goalkeeper injuries, serious collisions, head injuries, potential concussions, or situations where the injured player is due to take a penalty kick.

However, there is also a tweak to how goalkeeper injuries are handled. In an effort to cut down on “tactical timeouts” in these situations, outfield players cannot go to the sideline to get advice from a coach when a keeper is being treated for an injury. They will be instructed to remain on the pitch.

In a strange twist, there are no potential penalties associated with a violation of this new rule. According to Pierluigi Collina, FIFA’s chief referring officer, the matter has been raised with all 48 teams, and referees will be “proactive” in stopping teams from taking advantage of injuries.

“We will not allow the teams going to the benches when a goalkeeper is lying on the ground injured,” he said. “The goalkeeper has the right to be injured, but the players do not have the right to leave the field of play to have some sort of time out with their respective coaches,” said Collina to Sky Sports.

“I’m afraid we didn’t get a shared solution (on sanctions), a solution agreed by everybody. For this season, IFAB didn’t take any decision. Certainly something will be done in the future. For the time being, we rely on players’ understanding of the problem.

“We told them, ‘Be aware that we know’ so what we can avoid is having all the players off the field of play. There are captains, there are coaches, so certainly referees will be ready to face something like this if it should happen.”

Stay hydrated

Finally, FIFA is implementing hydration breaks during each half, around the 22nd minute, to allow players to rehydrate. The breaks are to be three minutes in length.