As we saw in the first game of the 2026 World Cup, on Thursday 11 June, FIFA adopted a series of new rules aimed at accelerating the pace of the game and strengthening the field discipline. Now, a replaced player has 10 seconds to leave the lawn, under penalty, while the replays (touches) must be done in 5 seconds in order to limit the loss of time. Medical interventions are also supervised, with an authorized return after about 60 seconds of field assessment.
At the disciplinary level, FIFA strengthens the control of behaviour. Only the master is entitled to exchange with the arbitrator in certain situations, and any attitude considered to be contentious, such as covering his mouth during an exchange or leaving the ground to protest, may result in sanctions. The stated aim is to reduce disputes and strengthen the arbitral authority.
Finally, the Arbitral Video Assistance (VAR) system is expanded to correct more errors, especially on the second yellow cards, the goals tainted by a previous fault or the corners poorly attributed. This edition 2026 also introduces a format expanded to 48 teams, divided into 12 groups of 4, with the qualification of the 8 best thirds, for a total of about 104 games, marking a new stage in the evolution of world football.
