At its 140th Annual General Meeting in Wales, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) approved several new measures aimed at speeding up the game and reducing time-wasting in football.
One of the main changes introduces a five-second countdown for throw-ins and goal kicks if a referee believes a team is delaying the restart. If the ball is not back in play when the countdown ends, the restart will be awarded to the opposing team.
The meeting also approved new rules to keep matches flowing more smoothly. Players who are substituted must leave the field within ten seconds, and injured players who receive treatment on the pitch will need to stay off the field for at least one minute after play restarts.
Changes were also made to the VAR protocol. Video assistant referees will now be able to help referees in certain situations, such as clearly incorrect second yellow cards, mistaken identity when the wrong player is punished, or an incorrectly awarded corner kick if the review can be done immediately.
Several updates will also appear in the next edition of the Laws of the Game, which will come into effect on 1 July 2026. These include allowing up to eight substitutions in senior international friendlies, the possible use of referee body cameras, and clarifications on dropped balls and penalty kick situations.
Throw-ins and goal kicks
Building on last year’s widely welcomed change in the Laws to prevent goalkeepers from holding the ball for too long, the AGM members confirmed the extension of the countdown principle to throw-ins and goal kicks.
If the referee considers that a throw-in or goal kick is taking too long or being deliberately delayed, a five-second visual countdown will be initiated. If the ball is not in play at the end of the countdown, the throw-in will be awarded to the opposing team while a delayed goal kick will result in a corner kick being awarded to the opponents.
Time-limited substitutions
To further streamline match flow, substituted players must leave the field of play within ten seconds of the substitution board being displayed or, where there is no substitution board, of the referee’s signal. Should the player fail to leave within this time, they must still exit the field but the substitute will not be permitted to enter until the first stoppage after one minute (running clock) has elapsed following the restart.
Off-field treatment and assessment
Where a player receives on-field assessment for an injury, or their injury causes play to be stopped, the player will be required to leave the field of play and remain off it for one minute (running clock) once play has restarted.
Video assistant referee (VAR) protocol developments
With regard to the VAR protocol, the AGM attendees approved three adjustments. Where there is clear evidence, the VAR will now be permitted to assist the referee in relation to:
red cards arising from a clearly incorrect second yellow card;
mistaken identity, when the referee penalises the wrong team for an offence that results in a red or yellow card being shown to the wrong player; and
a clearly incorrectly awarded corner kick, provided that the review can be completed immediately and without delaying the restart (competition option).
The IFAB also agreed that trials be conducted to further assess tactical injury delays by goalkeepers and to propose options to deter such behaviour.
Laws of the Game 2026/27
Additionally, the next edition of the Laws of the Game, effective from 1 July 2026 (with competitions starting before that date being able to implement the changes earlier), will feature the following amendments:
Law 3 (The Players): The number of substitutes that may be used in senior ‘A’ international team friendly matches will be increased to eight; both teams may agree to a further increase up to a maximum of 11.
Law 4 (The Player’s Equipment): Non-dangerous items will be permitted if safely and securely covered.
Law 5 (The Referee): Referee body cameras (chest- or head-mounted) may be used as a competition option, with the competition organiser providing the cameras and controlling the use of the footage.
Law 8 (The Start and Restart of Play): Clarification that the ball is dropped for the team that would have retained or gained possession had play not been stopped.
Law 10 (Determining the Outcome of a Match): and Law 14 (The Penalty Kick): Incorporation of the clarification contained in circular 31 (June 2025) regarding an accidental double touch by the penalty taker.
Law 12 (Fouls and Misconduct): Where the referee applies the advantage for an offence that would have been deemed to be denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity, the offending player will not be cautioned if a goal is scored, as the offence did not prevent a goal.
The IFAB also agreed that consultations will be held to develop measures for situations where:
players unilaterally decide to leave the field of play, or team officials instigate such action, as a means of protest against a referee’s decision; and
players cover their mouths when confronting opponents during matches.
The AGM participants agreed that offside trials would continue and received updates on the development of semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) and the ongoing FIFA-led trial of Football Video Support (FVS).
With these decisions, IFAB hopes to protect effective playing time and keep football fast, fair, and more enjoyable for fans around the world.