By Mekonnen Alemayehu
The upcoming 2026 World Cup, which will be held in three countries—Canada, the United States, and Mexico—is fast approaching. This world-renowned football tournament, featuring 48 nations, will take place over five weeks, starting in mid-June 2026.
For this major tournament, IFAB (International Football Association Board) has released new rules that it believes will greatly assist in officiating. In this statement from IFAB, new and strict refereeing rules to be applied in the World Cup were officially announced.
Among these, it has been stated that covering the mouth and walking off the pitch will result in a direct red card. This law was enacted based on recent events.
To recall, it is known that during the Africa Cup of Nations final match between Morocco and Senegal, the Senegalese team, unhappy with the officiating, walked off the field. Later, led by team captain Sadio Mané, the Teranga Lions returned to the pitch and eventually won the trophy. However, days later, based on a CAF decision, the Senegalese players were asked to return the trophy to Morocco because they had walked off the field during the match.
Senegal took the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), and the case remains unresolved. Given this, it has been announced that walking off the field—a move that caused such a controversial problem—will result in immediate and uncompromising action at the World Cup.
Another issue that necessitated a new rule for the World Cup is the way Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni recently directed racist abuse at Vinícius Júnior. The Argentine player covered his mouth with his jersey and hid from camera angles to commit the racial abuse against Vinícius. FIFA investigated the matter at the time and handed the player a six-match ban. Subsequently, FIFA's request to UEFA for the ban to be implemented internationally was accepted. Consequently, although Gianluca Prestianni was called up for Argentina, he will miss the first two World Cup matches. Argentina will face Algeria and Australia in their opening World Cup fixtures.
Following this, FIFA Referees Committee Chairman Pierluigi Collina announced new and strict regulatory amendments aimed at cleaning up football from inappropriate, controversial, and complex issues that challenge the officiating system.
In his statement to journalists, Collina said, "We are trying to clean up the game as much as possible." Let us look at the main rule changes that will be implemented in the tournament:
Covering the mouth during disputes results in a direct red card: Players who, during disagreements on the pitch, cover their mouths with their hands or jerseys to avoid being caught by cameras or referees while using insults or inappropriate language will be sent off the field with a direct red card.
Walking off the pitch in protest: A player who walks off the field due to dissatisfaction with a referee's decision, or a member of the coaching staff who causes players to walk off, will be shown a direct red card.
New role for VAR: Departing from previous procedures, referees will now be able to use video assistance to overturn and reverse incorrect decisions regarding corner kicks.
Water breaks and medical rules: Medical assistance rules on the pitch have been revised to prevent delays in the game, and a 3-minute water break will be held at the 22nd minute of each half.
This new procedure will be overseen by FIFA Referees Committee Chairman Pierluigi Collina. He will conduct a final preparation seminar in Miami for the 170 officiating personnel participating in the tournament.
Workshops have been provided to the coaches of all 48 national teams participating in the tournament, and similar briefings will be given to each player before the competition begins. Furthermore, video clips covering all types of scenarios have been prepared so that players and coaches have a clear understanding of which handballs result in penalty kicks.
However, Collina acknowledged that because there may be differences in interpretation among referees, these video explanations may not provide 100 percent perfect results.
