Collina Bans Goalkeeper Tactical Timeouts at 2026 World Cup — Where Is The World Cup 2026
Players at where is the world cup 2026 will be stopped from going to the technical area to talk to coaches when goalkeepers are injured. Fifa referees' chief Pierluigi Collina said the change is meant to stop teams from turning those stoppages into a tactical timeout.
He told coaches from all 48 teams that referees will be proactive and will not allow both sides to head to the benches when a goalkeeper is lying on the ground injured. Officials will enforce the rule at the tournament, where there will also be a three-minute hydration break in each half.
Collina and the 48 teams
“We had a workshop with all the coaches of all the 48 teams and we told them that referees will be proactive,” Collina said. “They will not allow the two teams to go to the benches when a goalkeeper is lying on the ground injured.”
He also put the rule in plain terms: “The goalkeeper has the right to be injured, but the players do not have the right to leave the field of play to have a sort of timeout with their respective coaches.”
The change targets only the part of the tactic that sends players off the field to receive instructions. It does not settle the wider question of how injury stoppages can still be used to break up momentum.
NWSL trial and IFAB review
The National Women's Soccer League introduced its own temporary measure earlier in 2026. Under that approach, if a goalkeeper is injured, players from both teams must stay where they are or gather in the centre circle.
Fifa said it will apply the same logic and prevent players from going to the touchline. The International Football Association Board has also approved a request to change VAR protocol so attacking fouls that happen before the ball is in play can be reviewed.
Leagues have been invited to run trials throughout the 2026-27 season to find a solution to the goalkeeper tactical timeout issue. For now, referees will handle the World Cup rule without yellow cards or any other disciplinary action for players who try to speak to the coach.
Farke, Donnarumma and stoppages
The issue has already drawn attention after Daniel Farke accused Gianluigi Donnarumma in November of feigning injury to “bend the rules” and break up play. That dispute showed how quickly a simple stoppage can become a coaching window when teams are looking for a reset.
At the World Cup, that window will be narrower. Players may still stop play around an injured goalkeeper, but they will not be allowed to turn the delay into a bench visit, and officials will be watching the technical area from the first match in the tournament’s 48-team format.
