World Cup unveils new laws banning tactical delays

A World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico begins with 48 teams and a new rulebook aimed at speeding up play and cracking down on controversial “tactical” behavior. The changes include banning goalkeeper tactical timeouts, introducing five-second restarts for th

When the tournament gets going in the US. Canada and Mexico with 48 teams. it won’t just be a new sprint toward the trophy—it will be a World Cup shaped by enforcement. England will be chasing an end to 60 years of hurt this summer. but the refereeing environment will be different from the one players have grown used to in recent competitions.

Several alterations to how games are officiated will be applied over the next six weeks, with FIFA targeting the moments that have slowed matches down, stretched referees’ patience, or turned altercations into disputes that look worse on replay than they do live.

The most immediate change tackles “tactical timeouts.” The practice of goalkeepers going down injured so that they can be guided by managers at the touchline—an approach that has become known as a tactical timeout—will be banned. Under the new regulations. players will not be allowed to go to the touchline; they must remain where they are or come together in the centre circle.

FIFA referees’ chief Pierluigi Collina also moved to clarify the punishment angle: he said there wouldn’t be disciplinary action for players who do go over to the touchline. Still, the rule itself is designed to remove the loophole that teams have used to slow games.

That pressure isn’t theoretical. In November, Leeds boss Daniel Farke accused Man City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of faking injury to “bend the rules” and stop play. The new approach tries to cut off that debate before it starts.

FIFA’s timing changes may limit how many teams rely on stoppages anyway. A three-minute hydration break has been introduced in each half, creating an organised timeout for teams already. And when treatment is required on the field. additional controls apply: any outfield player who is treated by the physio must remain off the field for at least 60 seconds. Exceptions are spelled out. including some injuries. when the opponent is booked or sent off. and when the fouled player is due to take a penalty.

Then there is the clock.

Countdowns for both throw-ins and goal-kicks will be enforced, with players having five seconds to restart play on both occasions. If a team breaches the limit on throw-ins, it will be awarded to the other team. For goal-kicks, the consequence is a corner.

The idea echoes recent Premier League experience. where there has been a time limit in place on goalkeepers releasing the ball in open play for the 2025-26 season of eight seconds. Burnley goalkeeper Martin Dubravka was the first player to be hit by it. conceding a corner against Tottenham on the opening day of the campaign.

Substitutions and dead-ball moments won’t get the same slack. Players will also have only 10 seconds to leave the field after they are substituted. They must exit at the nearest point; if they fail to go off within that time. the replacement will not be allowed to enter the field for at least one minute. and their teammates will have to continue with 10 players.

Referees will enforce these time limits, and the risk is that moments that have traditionally been allowed to drift can be corrected. The rule package even includes the possibility of dead-ball situations being reversed.

The World Cup’s new crackdown also reaches into confrontation.

If a player covers their mouth with their hand. arm or shirt during a confrontational situation with another player. they could receive a red card. The change follows a Champions League controversy in February involving Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni and Real Madrid star Vinicius Jnr. The Brazilian accused Prestianni of racially abusing him. That allegation wasn’t proven. but Prestianni had his mouth covered and was then later handed a six-game ban for homophobic conduct.

FIFA’s message is not that all mouth-covering is banned—it’s the context. If the conversation is “friendly,” players will not be punished. Collina underlined that line in his explanation. pointing to post-match interactions where players try to prevent conversations being picked up on TV by lip-readers. In confrontations. the message is harsher: when the conversation is confrontational. covering the mouth means the player is doing something very wrong. and the sanction is a red card.

There’s also a separate discipline track for walk-offs. Any players who walk off the pitch in protest at a refereeing decision—famously seen in the AFCON final between Senegal and Morocco—will be red carded. Coaches or team officials who encourage their team to do this will face similar punishment. And when a country is responsible for a match being abandoned, it will be forced to forfeit the match.

Behind the scenes, the technology room is being widened too.

Alongside the usual VAR interventions, the World Cup will bring increased involvement from technology. Under the new rules. VAR can now review second yellow cards—previously not permitted—alongside incidents of mistaken identity and wrongly-awarded corner kicks. Officials will also be able to give their verdict on fouls committed before the ball is in play from set-pieces. with referees allowed to review any offences that take place via the monitor.

The rules are aimed at tightening decision-making even when the incident isn’t perfectly framed in real time—especially around set-pieces, where the ball can seem “not yet live” to some viewers.

Arsenal will take note of the way the system is being positioned. But there is also a clear limitation on what VAR will do with second yellow cards. For second yellow interventions. VAR can only be used for wrongly awarded cases. rather than re-refereeing games and then handing out a second booking. And corner-related VAR checks must correct only obvious errors and won’t be allowed to delay the restart of play.

With 48 teams arriving for a tournament running across the US. Canada and Mexico. the question won’t only be who can handle pressure in front of goal. It will be who can handle pressure from the clock. from the sideline. and from the red-card triggers that now come with the smallest things—like where you stand when you’re “injured. ” how fast you restart after a stoppage. and whether a confrontation is considered confrontational by officials and VAR alike.

World Cup 48 teams rule changes tactical timeout ban five seconds restart mouth covering red card VAR second yellow review Pierluigi Collina hydration breaks walk-off red card forfeit match