World Cup 2026 New Rules: VAR Corners and Red Cards
IFAB has confirmed major new rules for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. VAR for corners, red cards for covering the mouth, 10-second subs. Every change inside.
Cover your mouth in a confrontation at the 2026 World Cup and you go off. Take more than 10 seconds to walk off as a substitute and your replacement waits a minute. VAR can now check corners. The International Football Association Board confirmed the package on 31 May, and every one of these rules will begin from kick-off in Mexico City on 11 June.
The 2026 World Cup will use new IFAB rules, including VAR review for corner kicks, red cards for players who cover their mouths during confrontations, 10-second substitution exits, five-second throw-in countdowns, three-minute hydration breaks each half, and a one-minute removal for outfield players who receive on-pitch treatment.
What are the new rules at the 2026 World Cup?
IFAB has expanded VAR's remit for the first time in years. Officials can now review incorrectly awarded corner kicks (provided the check does not delay the restart), attacking fouls committed before play has restarted, a red card from a second yellow that was clearly wrong, and cases of mistaken identity on a card decision. None of these four rules were inside the previous VAR protocols.
The pace of matches has also been targeted. Substituted players have 10 seconds to leave at the nearest point on the touchline. If they take longer, the replacement waits at least one minute until the next stoppage in play, and the team plays a man down until the new player is waved on. Throw-ins and goal kicks come with a five-second visible countdown from the referee. Run out the clock on a throw-in and possession reverses. Run out on a goal kick and the opposition get a corner. The eight-second goalkeeper rule, introduced for the 2025-26 season, also carries through.
Vinicius Junior and the new red card for covering your mouth
The mouth-covering rule traces directly to the Champions League playoff first leg between Benfica and Real Madrid on 17 February 2026. Vinicius Junior accused Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni of racially abusing him after Vinicius scored the only goal of a 1-0 win. Prestianni pulled his shirt up over his mouth as he spoke. UEFA later handed Prestianni a six-match ban, three matches deferred, for verbal abuse it categorised as homophobic. The racial component could not be evidentially proven, and Prestianni denied it.
IFAB voted unanimously to act, signing off a red card for any player who covers their mouth during a confrontation with an opponent. The exception is friendly conversation with any hint of confrontation, and the card comes out.
How time-wasting is being punished at the 2026 World Cup
Outfield players who receive treatment from medical staff must now leave the pitch for at least one minute after play restarts, with exceptions for goalkeepers, concussions, severe injuries, head injuries and collisions. Coaches cannot pull players to the technical area for tactical instructions while a goalkeeper is down, though there is no specific punishment attached to the rule. Players who leave the pitch in protest at a refereeing decision get a straight red. A team that causes a match to be abandoned forfeits the result.
A new rule for the 2026 World Cup is that each half has a three-minute hydration break around the 22nd minute, with referees given flexibility to bring it forward if a natural pause arrives. Host venues across the United States, Mexico and Canada include several in extreme summer heat, and player safety was flagged as the priority. The 2026 final at MetLife Stadium on 19 July will also carry a longer-than-usual halftime, with Madonna, Shakira and BTS performing an 11-minute show curated by Coldplay's Chris Martin.