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IFAB OKs 2026 Cup Rules: Protest Red Cards, 5-Second Throws

6/4/2026

Summary

IFAB Approves Rules

IFAB approved rules for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, beginning June 11.
Covering the mouth or leaving the pitch in protest each triggers a red card, with the protest causing forfeiture.
If a throw-in or goal-kick is not taken within five seconds, opponent gets possession or a corner.
VAR can correct second-yellow, mistaken-identity, corner and pre-set-piece fouls, with the corrected player sitting out one minute.

Summary

IFAB Updates

A three-minute hydration pause will occur each half around minute 22.
The July 19 final at MetLife Stadium will have a concert and a halftime under 15 minutes.
A new red-card rule bans mouth-covering after confrontations, after a league incident that gave Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni a six-game ban for homophobic conduct.
Pierluigi Collina asked the International Football Association Board to let VAR review fouls, citing the England-Uruguay goal at Wembley as unfair.

Summary

FIFA Unveils Tech

FIFA has legalized the referee body-camera ‘Referee View’, and its feed appears on broadcasts and stadium screens.
The offside system tracks the ball and up to 29 player points 50 times per second and sends audio alerts to the assistant referee, removing delay.
FIFA will create 3-D avatars of all 1,248 players, each scanned in a second, after a trial at the 2025 Club World Cup ahead of 2026 tournament.

History

Historical Context

March 2018 the International Football Association Board approved video-assistant referees and the FIFA Council authorized their use for the first World Cup in Russia. VAR ran from a Moscow centre, producing the first replay-awarded goal on 15 June and a penalty on 16 June, reshaping officiating. The 2026 rule package, adding five-second throw-ins and harsher red-card sanctions, extends that 2018 technology shift.

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IFAB Approves Rules

IFAB approved rules for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, beginning June 11.
Covering the mouth or leaving the pitch in protest each triggers a red card, with the protest causing forfeiture.
If a throw-in or goal-kick is not taken within five seconds, opponent gets possession or a corner.
VAR can correct second-yellow, mistaken-identity, corner and pre-set-piece fouls, with the corrected player sitting out one minute.

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