"We are trying to clean the game as much as possible." That's FIFA refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina, and at the 2026 World Cup, he finally has the tools to try. IFAB has approved a raft of law changes that kick in this tournament and carry through into the 2026-27 domestic seasons worldwide.
Some of these are long overdue. Others are direct responses to specific incidents that made headlines in the past 18 months. All of them will change how matches are refereed at the biggest tournament on the planet.
The changes that will actually affect what you watch
The time-wasting crackdown is the one with the most immediate impact. Referees will now raise a hand and count down five seconds for throw-ins and goal-kicks. Miss the window on a throw-in and possession switches. Miss it on a goal-kick and you're handing the opposition a corner. Goalkeepers already had an eight-second limit to release the ball during play from last season — now the pressure extends to every restart.
Substitutions get the same treatment. Once the fourth official's board goes up, the outgoing player has 10 seconds to get off the pitch via the nearest touchline. Fail that, and the team plays a man down until the first stoppage after a minute has passed. MLS ran this rule in 2024 and it worked. The World Cup is a bigger stage to prove it.
Players covering their mouths while speaking to opponents will now receive a red card — directly inspired by the Vinícius Júnior vs. Prestianni incident in the Champions League, where Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni covered his mouth before Vinícius alleged a racist slur was directed at him. Prestianni received a six-match ban that was extended to cover this tournament. The rule won't punish normal conversation — Collina confirmed that — but anything that looks like deliberate concealment of what's being said is gone.
- Clearly incorrect second yellow cards can now be reviewed by VAR
- Mistaken identity on yellow and red cards is now a VAR situation
- Incorrectly awarded corner kicks can be reversed — but only quickly, with no restart delay
That VAR expansion matters. The system was always supposed to correct clear errors, and wrongly carded players have been an obvious gap. Getting identity checks right alone could change the outcome of knockout matches.
Leave the field in protest and you forfeit the game
The most severe new rule is also the most politically charged. Any team that abandons the field in protest will be handed a forfeit. Staff who encourage players to walk off can be shown a red card. This is a direct consequence of Senegal leaving the pitch for 16 minutes during January's AFCON final against Morocco over a disputed stoppage-time penalty — they came back, won 1-0 in extra time, then had the result overturned to a 3-0 forfeit by CAF. Senegal's appeal is still ongoing.
The rule removes any ambiguity. Walk off, lose the match. Simple.
Every game at the World Cup will also feature a three-minute hydration and strategy break around the 23-minute mark in each half — including matches played indoors. When Mauricio Pochettino used the first one during the USA's win over Senegal, it became a full tactical session. Expect every manager to follow suit. Broadcasters will sell ads. Everyone gets something.
Players who receive on-field medical treatment will have to leave the pitch for at least one minute after play resumes, with exceptions carved out for goalkeepers, collisions involving the goalkeeper, severe injuries, and players who were about to take a penalty. Teams cannot retreat for a tactical huddle while an injured goalkeeper is being treated on the pitch either.
Collina's refereeing operation has been given real authority here. Whether the officials at this World Cup have the nerve to use it consistently is a different question entirely.
