Law changes that will come into effect at the 2026 World Cup

May 31 : The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has made changes to the laws of the game which will be applied from the 2026-27 season onwards as well as at the World Cup, which kicks off on June 11 in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

"The IFAB approved a set of landmark changes to the Laws of the Game and the FIFA World Cup 2026 will be the first major tournament to use them," FIFA's Chief Refereeing Officer Pierluigi Collina told reporters.

"These amendments aim to tackle discrimination, cut time-wasting, enhance match tempo and improve both the player and fan experience."

PLAYERS COVERING THEIR MOUTHS

* A player who covers their mouth with their hand, arm or shirt in confrontational situations will receive a red card.

* The new rule comes into effect after Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni was accused of making discriminatory slurs to Vinicius Jr with his mouth covered. Prestianni was given a six-game suspension by UEFA, with his ban extended worldwide.

* However, players who cover their mouths while having friendly conversations with club team mates on opposing teams, for example, will not be punished.

PLAYERS LEAVING FIELD OF PLAY

* Players who leave the field of play to protest about a referee's decision will be shown a red card.

* The rule will also apply to any team official who incites players to leave the field of play in protest.

* Teams which cause a match to be abandoned will now forfeit the match.

* The new rule comes into effect after Senegal stormed off the field in protest at a penalty awarded against them in the Africa Cup of Nations final, before they returned to beat hosts Morocco 1-0 after extra time.

THROW-IN AND GOAL-KICK COUNTDOWNS

* Referees will start a visual five-second countdown with a