The 6 major rule changes that have been introduced ahead of the world cup including ‘anti– Scotland’ law

This summer’s World Cup will begin next Thursday when co-hosts Mexico face South Africa. The tournament will have a very different look, given that it has been expanded from 32 to 48 teams.

Football’s lawmakers have also approved a series of major rules ahead of the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has announced changes to tackle discrimination, cut time-wasting, increase match tempo and improve fan and player experience.

“We are trying to clean the game as much as possible,” said chairman of the FIFA referees committee Pierluigi Collina, who is leading the implementation.

Six Major Rule Changes at the World Cup

IFAB has implemented five rule changes that will be in place for the World Cup, with expanded VAR powers approved.

Countdowns to stop time-wasting

There will be a five-second countdown for goal kicks and throw-ins. Players who have been substituted will also have 10 seconds to leave the pitch.

Collina said: “On corners, there is a sort of ceremonial (time delay) as the central defenders come from the opposite end, which takes time.

“We rely on the referees being proactive and dealing with these possible delays in the normal manner. I would highlight another scenario is that a player might come from far for a long throw into the penalty area. A bit more time can be given if the team needs this player to get the ball.”

No goalkeeper tactical timeouts

If a goalkeeper goes down on the pitch with an injury, then the players of both teams will not be allowed to go to the technical area for a team talk.

Not allowed to cover your mouth during confrontations

Any player who covers his mouth in a confrontational manner may be shown a red card.

“If it is a friendly conversation, they can continue to do it without any problem,” explained Collina.

Second yellow cards can be checked by VAR

If a player has been shown two cautions, then his second yellow card can be checked by VAR. Mistaken identity on yellow cards can be checked, too.

Corners to be checked by VAR

VAR will also check incorrectly awarded corner kicks, but it has to be done quickly and before the restart. Although it does not extend to reversing a goal kick that should have been a corner.

Collina said that the corner would only be reversed if it could be corrected immediately by VAR without delaying the restart.

“It is a matter of how long it takes to take a corner kick,” he explained. “They are not often taken immediately, as they need defenders to come from the opposite end, so it takes time. From our point of view, it is not understandable that the corner was wrongly given but is taken.

“I want to be very clear, we don’t delay anything. We don’t need any review from the referee. It is a matter of fact that becomes clear before they take the corner kick and we change the decision.”

‘Anti-Scotland’ law

Dubbed the ‘anti-Scotland’ law, the rule will see players penalised for obstructing or preventing an opponent from playing the ball at free-kicks and corners.

FIFA and IFAB are looking to crack down on pushing and shoving during set pieces, with an England goal used as a case study for what officials are looking to cut out.

In England’s 1-1 draw with Uruguay in March, the likes of Adam Wharton and Harvey Barnes blocked defenders from the corner, which saw Ben White score.

The rule could have a major impact on Scotland, who excelled from set-pieces during the 2025/26 campaign.

New World Cup Rule in Action

The new rule change has already been in action as evident during Japan’s World Cup warm-up against Iceland on Sunday.

In the 85th minute, Kristian Hlynsson took more than 10 seconds to leave the pitch during his substitution. As a result, his replacement had to wait a full minute before completing the substitution.

And it proved costly for Iceland as Japan scored when they had a player advantage.