FIFA Eyes Revolutionary Rule Overhaul That Could Transform 2026 World Cup
A fresh regulation designed to tackle intentional time-wasting and match disruption is anticipated to receive approval before the 2026 World Cup this summer.
The proposal suggests that players receiving medical attention who exit the field must stay off for a complete minute before re-entering play. BBC Sport indicates the International Football Association Board will authorize this addition to football's laws during Saturday's annual general meeting.
The concept aims to prevent players from simulating or overstating injuries to waste time or break an opponent's rhythm by enforcing a meaningful period away from the action.
Currently, players must already exit the field for medical care. Yet this doesn't always prevent strategic interruptions benefiting one side, and until now, individual tournaments could establish their own guidelines, with the Premier League requiring a 30-second absence for medical treatment. This proposal extends that timeframe.
Nevertheless, the anticipated new regulation won't tackle 'tactical timeouts' during games, initiated when goalkeepers—naturally exempt from leaving the field—seek treatment. Since matches cannot proceed while goalkeepers undergo medical assessment, it's an open secret that some teams use these moments for coaches to provide more detailed tactical guidance than possible during active play.
Whether this becomes problematic at this year's World Cup remains uncertain, considering FIFA's introduction of mandatory three-minute hydration breaks halfway through each half will already provide coaches with scheduled player interaction opportunities during matches.
Additional exemptions to the one-minute regulation include situations where yellow or red cards are issued to fouling players—acknowledging that injury isn't being simulated to halt play when punishment follows a legitimate foul.
Increasing from the Premier League's 30 seconds, FIFA tested a two-minute re-entry delay during the recent Arab Cup in December, with one minute proposed as a middle ground.
World Cup Countdowns to Speed Up Play
World Cup Countdowns to Speed Up Play
The mean ball-in-play duration at the 2022 World Cup, when FIFA urged referees to add considerably more injury time after each half, remained just below 60 minutes. In the Premier League during 2022–23 it was merely 54 minutes and 49 seconds, rising to 58 minutes and 11 seconds in 2023–24. This means supporters paying for a 90-minute spectacle are receiving significantly less value.
Consequently, football governing bodies are exploring additional methods to prevent match delays.
At this year's World Cup, this will include five-second countdowns for throw-ins and goal kicks, preventing players from unreasonably delaying play restarts, ESPN reports.
If a team is found guilty of intentional time-wasting in such circumstances, throw-in possession would switch sides, while goal kicks would become corner kicks.
Also being considered is a method to discourage substitution-based time-wasting. Currently, departing players should exit via the closest touchline when substituted, but a new proposal would impose a 10-second limit for leaving the playing area. Violating this would result in play continuing without the incoming player permitted on field—leaving the team numerically disadvantaged—for at least one minute.
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Jamie Spencer is a freelance editor and writer for Sports Illustrated FC. Jamie fell in love with football in the mid-90s and specializes in the Premier League, Manchester United, the women's game and old school nostalgia.