Football rules are set for a major shake-up as FIFA prepares key disciplinary reforms for the 2026 World Cup.
According to The Athletic, this reform will be discussed at the governing body’s Council meeting in Vancouver and is expected to be approved.
It calls for the introduction of two phases for clearing yellow cards during the tournament, to prevent the accumulation of cautions from unduly penalizing players in a competition expanded to 48 teams.
Specifically, yellow cards that do not result in a suspension would be cleared once at the end of the group stage, and then again after the quarterfinals.
The stated goal is to limit suspensions during knockout matches in a World Cup that will now include an additional round with the round of 16.
This measure is designed to preserve squad depth during decisive moments and meet the expectations of coaching staffs. This should be good news for national team coaches.
