Infantino Backs New World Cup Rules With VAR Expanded
Gianni Infantino pushed new world cup rules into the 2026 tournament less than a fortnight before kickoff, with Ifab expanding VAR to cover corners and more set-piece incidents. The move means officials in the United States, Canada and Mexico will work under a broader review protocol than at previous World Cups.
Infantino and the mouth-covering rule
Infantino personally called for players who cover their mouths in a confrontational situation to be sent off, and Fifa made that rule optional at the World Cup. Any player or official who leaves the field of play in protest at a referee’s decision can also be given a red card, adding another disciplinary route beyond the usual foul and dissent checks.
This year offered two examples that sit right on top of the new guidance. Pape Thiaw and some Senegal players walked off the field during the Africa Cup of Nations final in protest at a penalty, while Gianluca Prestianni hid his mouth under his shirt before confronting Vinícius Júnior during a Champions League tie.
Ifab widens VAR checks
Video officials will now be expected to check every decision that results in a corner. They will also be expected to assess decisions that lead to the award of a second yellow card and thus a sending-off, extending the review net beyond the most obvious goal and penalty calls.
Ifab’s latest clarification also extends the window for assessing goals, penalties or sendings-off that follow the taking of a set piece. Video referees will be encouraged to check for any offence before the set piece had been taken if the incident is deemed to have had a direct impact on the outcome. That word — “clarification” — is the one Ifab used for the late change.
World Cup 2026 and the pace push
The 2026 World Cup will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, and Fifa wants to speed up the game with several initiatives. Officials will clamp down on tactical timeouts as part of that push, while the new VAR scope and red-card options give referees more tools to police incidents that happen just before the restart.
For teams and coaches, the practical shift is simple: corners, second yellows and pre-set-piece scuffles will carry more review risk than they did before, and the new mouth-covering standard sits there as an extra disciplinary threat if confrontation spills beyond the normal frame of play.
