Mark Clattenburg Explains 2026 World Cup Rules — How Long Are Soccer Games
How long are soccer games at the 2026 FIFA World Cup could become a sharper question than usual after new rules were laid out for restarts, injury delays and VAR. The tournament will use 48 teams, and the way officials handle dead balls and reviews could change the rhythm of matches in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Mark Clattenburg on World Cup rules
FOX Sports published a rules guide for the tournament, and former referee Mark Clattenburg said the scale of the event creates a problem that starts before the opening whistle. “We have six federations, and they all have to come together under the same rules,” he said.
He added, “And what they have to understand is that FIFA [has] different interpretations.” That matters across a field of 48 teams split into 12 groups of four, because the competition is not just larger than the 2022 World Cup; it is a 16-team expansion from the 32-team format used in Qatar.
Timers and injury exits
The new mechanics go beyond the draw. Officials will have the liberty to institute timers that speed up dead-ball restarts and substitutions, and players who want to return after an injury will need to leave the pitch.
Dr. Joe Machnik spelled out the change in blunt terms: “We see players going down to stop the game — whether they're injured or not,” he said. “But if the referee has to stop the game to deal with a player, that player will have to leave the field of play and will not be permitted to come back into the game for at least a minute.”
That creates a real adjustment for teams trying to manage stoppages. A player who goes down and draws the referee’s attention will not simply reset and stay in the match immediately, which gives officials a clearer way to push play forward when the game is being slowed down.
VAR expands in 2026
Video review is also getting a wider reach. VAR can now be used to determine corner kicks from goal kicks, and it can be used to challenge second yellow cards.
That puts more decisions under review in a tournament spread across three host countries and 16 different cities, with 32 of the 48 teams advancing into the knockout stages. For players and coaches, the practical takeaway is simple: quicker restarts, a stricter approach to injury stoppages and more reviewable calls will all be part of the 2026 World Cup rhythm from the opening match through the knockout rounds.
