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The Latest Breaking News from IFAB

Why Balogun's World Cup Red Card Was Incorrect

A lawyer's—and former trial judge's—perspective.

Reason

FIFA tried to introduce four quarters in football 32 years ago but were BLOCKED

Hydration breaks have gone down badly at the 2026 World Cup, but splitting matches into four has been in the works for longer than you might think

FourFourTwo

VAR Power Grab? Fans Warn FIFA Is 'Destroying the Game' With New World Cup 2026 Rules

VAR rule changes ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup have triggered backlash, with expanded VAR powers for corners, fouls, and second yellow cards sparking intense opposition from fans.

International Business Times UK

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Relentless rise of VAR, new red card offences and more: those new World Cup rules in full

2026 tournament will be the biggest, longest and most expensive – and the most intricately refereed – ever seen

The Guardian - UK

Six major rule changes that will define World Cup 2026

Goalkeepers going down ‘injured’, allowing their team-mates to rush to the touchline to receive tactical advice from coaches, will be prohibited along with a raft of other measures to prevent time-wasting

The Independent UK

The VAR rule change set to rule out more goals at the World Cup

Fouls committed immediately before the ball is in play will now come under VAR scrutiny

The Independent UK

2026 World Cup to Introduce Drastic Rule Changes

FIFA’s refereeing chief cited England as an example of now-forbidden conduct.

Sports Illustrated

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FIFA unveil radical new World Cup laws inspired by Thomas Tuchel's England as VAR gets new powers

Set-piece laws updated for summer showpiece

Evening Standard

MLS Discuss Bringing Back NFL-Style Rules From 1990s

A return to some innovations from the early years of MLS have been floated with soccer’s lawmakers.

Sports Illustrated

MLS lobbying Ifab to explore stopping clock for pauses in play

In the rule, soccer’s usual continuous clock would instead stop for injuries, substitutions, and other pauses in play

The Guardian - US

Premier League set to reject extended powers for VAR next season

The video assistant referee will be permitted to rule on the award of corners from next month, in time for the World Cup, but Ifab has made the new law discretionary and PGMO has advised against it

The Guardian - UK

What Is the ‘Vinicius Jr Law’ Brought in for 2026 World Cup?

Ifab has approved a change to the game’s laws based on an incident featuring the Real Madrid star.

Sports Illustrated

Why there could be more cards than ever before at World Cup 2026

FIFA is expected to take action to limit the negative impact of an upsurge in cards at the World Cup

FourFourTwo

World Cup 2026: Players who leave pitch or cover mouths to be given red cards

Footballers who leave the pitch without the referee's permission and those who cover their mouths during confrontations can now be given red cards, under new rules announced on Wednesday.

Radio France Internationale

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The Guardian - US

World Cup 2026 players who cover mouths or leave pitch in protest may be red carded

Ifab also determined that players who leave the pitch in protest will see red

The Independent UK

New ‘Vinicius Law’ will see players sent off at World Cup if they cover their mouths during confrontations

The rule change comes after Vinicius Jr reported racial abuse from Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni, who covered his mouth during a Champions League match in February

The Independent UK

Racist abuse against Vinicius not proven as Prestianni is banned for homophobia

The Benfica player was given a six-match suspension, with three games suspended and one already served after a provisional suspension was imposed.

The Guardian - UK

New survey finds 91% of fans believe football is better off without VAR

A poll of 7,000 supporters has shown only 2% thought VAR ‘makes football more enjoyable’ and 81% prefer watching games without the use of the system

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The Independent UK

Michael Carrick says Premier League set-piece tactics have ‘gone too far’

More goals have been scored from set-pieces so far this season than in the entire 2024-25 campaign

The Independent UK

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler takes aim at Arsenal’s set-piece tactics ahead of Premier League clash

Fabian Hurzeler has voiced his concerns over set-pieces in the Premier League ahead of Brighton’s clash with Arsenal on Wednesday

FourFourTwo

Footballers who cover their mouths could be sent off following IFAB meeting

Football's lawmaking body IFAB has discussed the plans in an effort to help eradicate racist abuse

Radio France Internationale

Football lawmakers plan crackdown on player protests and covering mouth on field

Football's lawmakers on Saturday backed a review to bring in rules to stop players walking off the pitch if they disagree with a referee's decision and also covering their mouth when confronting opponents during matches.

The Guardian - UK

Football’s rulemakers to launch review of VAR and plan for Vinícius law

The new rules are to be added before the World Cup, with corners and second yellow cards now allowed to be checked

The Independent UK

VAR given more power by football lawmakers as key changes made ahead of World Cup

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has approved a number of tweaks to the lawbook

The Guardian - US

MLS’s experimental rule changes that cut time-wasting, sped up play are going global

Soccer’s international rule-making body is widely expected to adopt the timed substitution rule and the off-field treatment rule, both first implemented by MLS

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Benfica Gianluca Prestianni

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