What football rules change at the 2026 World Cup?

The headline football rule change for the 2026 World Cup is an eight-second limit on goalkeepers holding the ball, joined by red cards for covering the mouth and broader VAR review.

The Laws of the Game are written by the International Football Association Board, the sport's lawmaking body, and applied at the finals by FIFA. The 2026 finals, hosted across the United States, Mexico and Canada, are the first World Cup to run under this updated set, as reported by Al Jazeera on 1 June 2026. Zambia did not qualify for the 2026 tournament, yet the changes still reach the Zambian game because Laws set by the board filter down to domestic leagues and continental competitions over time. Kwacha News tracks that pipeline in coverage of Zambian sport and athlete development.

How the goalkeeper rule works

The first change is procedural. A goalkeeper who holds the ball for longer than eight seconds concedes a corner kick to the opposing side, according to Al Jazeera's account of the new Laws. The eight-second count replaces the older six-second guidance that referees rarely enforced, and the corner-kick sanction is sharper than the indirect free kick that previously applied. The stated intent is to deter time-wasting and keep the ball in play, with the referee signalling the final five seconds by a raised hand.

Why the mouth-covering rule is enforced

The second change targets conduct. A player who covers the mouth while speaking on the pitch can be shown a red card, a sanction aimed at deterring abusive or coordinated communication that match officials and cameras cannot follow. Al Jazeera reports the measure as a discipline tool: the covered mouth makes lip-reading and on-field policing harder, so the Law treats the gesture itself as a sending-off offence in the relevant circumstances. The change places fresh weight on referee judgement, since the official must read intent in the moment. For players, the practical effect is plain — communication on the pitch stays open to view.

Why VAR is expanding

The third change widens technology. The Video Assistant Referee system, known as VAR, gains a broader review remit at the 2026 finals, extending the situations in which an off-field official can flag an on-field decision for a second look. VAR review depends on synchronised camera feeds and rapid data handling, the same class of infrastructure that powers modern broadcast and analytics — a link Kwacha News explores in a national explainer on data centres and digital infrastructure. FIFA applies the expanded protocol at the tournament, and this explainer sits within Kwacha News's sports and entertainment coverage.

Who the changes affect

The changes affect three groups directly. Goalkeepers must distribute faster or surrender corners; outfield players must keep communication visible or risk dismissal; referees carry wider VAR powers and fresh judgement calls. For Zambian fans and officials, the relevance is structural rather than immediate: a Law adopted at world level becomes the reference point that the Confederation of African Football and national federations align to over time. The continental vantage on such shifts runs through Kwacha News's look at Africa's place in the global game.

Background

The International Football Association Board is the guardian of the Laws of the Game and the only body empowered to change them. Established in the nineteenth century, the board brings together the four British football associations and FIFA, with FIFA holding a defined share of the vote. The route from ratification to a Zambian Super League pitch is gradual: continental and national federations adopt the updated Laws on their own calendars, and the practical effect lands season by season. Evidence from past Law changes shows the World Cup is the most visible stage on which a new rule is first seen.

What to watch

The open question is refereeing consistency. Each of the three changes asks more of the match official — counting the goalkeeper's eight seconds, judging the mouth-covering offence, and managing a wider VAR remit without stalling play. Data from the tournament will show whether the eight-second limit raises the number of corners and whether the broader VAR review lengthens stoppages. The mouth-covering sanction, the most novel of the three, is the one most likely to draw debate over how evenly it is applied. How these calls settle at the World Cup is the clearest early signal of how the Laws will read once they reach domestic and African football.

The 2026 World Cup brings three notable rule shifts: a corner kick against goalkeepers who hold the ball beyond eight seconds, the threat of a red card for players who cover the mouth, and a wider role for VAR review.

— Paraphrased from the reported changes, <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/6/1/which-football-rule-changes-will-be-implemented-during-the-world-cup">Al Jazeera, 1 June 2026</a>

Frequently Asked Questions

These are the questions readers ask about the 2026 World Cup rule changes. Short answers follow, drawn from Al Jazeera's report and the published Laws of the Game.

What is the eight-second goalkeeper rule?

In short, the rule is that a goalkeeper who holds the ball for more than eight seconds concedes a corner kick to the other side. According to Al Jazeera, the count replaces older guidance that referees seldom enforced, and the corner-kick sanction shows a sharper deterrent against time-wasting from the back.

Why can a player get a red card for covering their mouth?

Simply put, the answer is that covering the mouth while speaking can hide abusive or coordinated communication from officials and cameras. Evidence cited in Al Jazeera's report reveals the Law treats the gesture as a discipline matter, so the covered mouth can draw a sending-off in the relevant circumstances.

How does the expanded VAR work at the 2026 World Cup?

The key is that VAR — the Video Assistant Referee — gains a wider remit, so an off-field official can review more situations. According to FIFA practice, the system runs on synchronised camera feeds; data from the tournament will show whether the broader review changes the pace of matches.

Who decides football's rules, and who applies them?

In other words, two bodies share the work. The International Football Association Board writes the Laws of the Game, and FIFA applies them at the World Cup. Analysis of the board's history shows it alone holds the power to change the Laws, which is why a World Cup rule shift starts there.

Does Zambia play at the 2026 World Cup, and do the rules affect Zambian football?

The answer is no on the first count — Zambia did not qualify for the 2026 finals. Yet the changes still reach Zambian football, because the data shows Laws set at world level filter down to continental and domestic competitions, so the new rules become the reference point for the Zambian game over time.

Sources

Al Jazeera: "Which football rule changes will be implemented during the World Cup" (1 June 2026). The International Football Association Board: Laws of the Game. FIFA: official site.