FIFA to close loophole for “tactical timeouts” during goalkeeper injuries ahead of the World Cup
At the 2026 World Cup, FIFA will try to stop the practice in which a stoppage for an alleged or genuine goalkeeper injury is used as an informal tactical timeout. According to the explanation given by Pierluigi Collina, chairman of FIFA’s referees committee, national teams have been told that players will no longer be allowed to go to the technical area to speak with the head coach or members of the coaching staff during such a stoppage. The goalkeeper still has the right to medical assistance, but the other players will have to remain on the pitch, in the position where they were at the moment of the stoppage, or gather away from the benches, for example in the centre-circle area. The aim of the measure is not to dispute genuine injuries, but to prevent a medical stoppage from turning into an agreed break for changing tactics, disrupting the opponent’s rhythm or calming the match in sensitive periods.
Collina, according to a BBC report carried by BusinessGhana, said that FIFA held a workshop with the coaches of all 48 national teams that will take part in the tournament and warned them that referees will act proactively in such situations. “A goalkeeper has the right to be injured, but players do not have the right to leave the field in order to have some kind of timeout with their coaches,” Collina said in explaining the new practice. He also stressed that it is not good when only the referee, the physiotherapist and the goalkeeper remain on the pitch during a goalkeeper injury, while everyone else heads toward the bench. According to the available information, FIFA does not plan automatic yellow cards simply for approaching the bench in such situations; instead, enforcement will depend on the referee’s management of the stoppage and clear instructions to the players.
Why a goalkeeper injury has become a tactical issue
Football does not have formal timeouts like basketball or American football, but in practice stoppages are appearing more and more often that allow teams to reorganise briefly. The most disputed form of such a practice occurs when the goalkeeper sits down on the grass, asks for medical assistance, and teammates simultaneously go to the technical area for instructions. Because the goalkeeper, unlike outfield players, usually does not have to leave the game after treatment, such a stoppage can pass without a sporting cost for the team using it. The problem for referees and lawmakers is that a genuine injury must not be questioned in advance, but at the same time the rhythm of the match must be protected and abuse of stoppages prevented.
The debate gained additional weight after a series of examples in club football. The original report mentions a case from November, when Leeds United coach Daniel Farke accused Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury in order to “bend the rules” and interrupt the opponent’s pressure. Such accusations do not in themselves prove intent, but they show how sensitive the topic has become for coaches, players and referees. IFAB, the body responsible for the Laws of the Game, has already considered various possibilities, but according to the available information, by 01 June 2026 no special permanent change to the rules had been adopted that would directly punish a goalkeeper for such a stoppage. Instead, competitions have been given room for trials during the 2026/27 season, in order to find a model that deters abuse without endangering the safety of an injured player.
A model already tested in the American league
At the World Cup, FIFA will rely on logic similar to the temporary policy introduced for the 2026 season by the National Women’s Soccer League, the top tier of professional women’s football in the United States. According to the rules published by the NWSL, when play is stopped because of a goalkeeper injury, players from both teams may not approach the technical area. They must remain where they were at the moment of the stoppage or gather on their side of the centre circle. If a team nevertheless goes toward the bench, the club or head coach may be subject to disciplinary proceedings by the league. An exception exists when the injured goalkeeper is substituted before play resumes, because in that case approaching the technical area is connected with a regular substitution and the organisation of the restart of the match.
That model does not solve every dimension of the problem. If a team’s goal is simply to stop the opponent’s momentum, the stoppage of play itself can still have tactical value, even without players going to the coach. Even so, banning gatherings by the bench removes the most visible element of the “timeout” and makes it harder to systematically transmit new instructions to the whole team. For FIFA, this is especially important at a tournament with huge media reach, where any suspicion of deliberate slowing of play could spark controversy. Refereeing teams will therefore have to react quickly and equally toward both teams, because inconsistent application can create additional objections instead of calming the match.
A broader package of rules for faster and cleaner play
The measure against tactical goalkeeper stoppages fits into a broader trend of changes with which FIFA and IFAB are trying to increase effective playing time. At its 140th annual general meeting held on 28 February 2026 in Hensol, Wales, IFAB approved a package of measures to reduce time-wasting and interruptions to the tempo of matches. According to FIFA’s official announcement, those decisions will be applied at the 2026 World Cup, while the new Laws of the Game for the 2026/27 season come into force globally on 1 July 2026, with the possibility of earlier application in competitions that begin before that date. In practice, this means that the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States will be the first major global competition where several new protocols will be seen at the same time.
Among the most important changes is the extension of the principle of a visual countdown to throw-ins and goal kicks. According to IFAB’s decision, if the referee judges that a throw-in or goal kick is being deliberately delayed, he or she may begin a visual countdown of five seconds. If the ball is still not returned to play after that, the throw-in may be awarded to the opponent, while in the case of delaying a goal kick, a corner may be awarded to the opposing team. This continues the approach introduced the previous season for goalkeepers who hold the ball in their hands for too long. For the 2025/26 season, IFAB changed the rule so that, if the goalkeeper holds the ball for more than eight seconds, with a visible countdown of the final five seconds, the opponent is awarded a corner kick instead of the former indirect free kick for exceeding the six-second limit.
Substitutions, injuries and player responsibility
The new package also includes a time limit for a substituted player to leave the pitch. According to IFAB’s official announcement, a player leaving the game must leave the field within ten seconds after the substitution board is shown or after the referee’s signal, if the board is not used. If he or she does not do so, the substitution must still be carried out, but the player entering will not be allowed to come on until the first stoppage after one minute of playing time with the running clock has elapsed. This solution targets the common practice of slowly walking toward the bench in the closing stages of matches, when a team is trying to use up precious time and break the opponent’s rhythm.
The protocol for treating injured players has also been changed. When a player receives a medical assessment on the pitch or his or her injury causes a stoppage in play, the player will have to leave the field and remain out of the game for one minute after the restart, with certain exceptions. According to the available explanations, this rule does not apply equally to all situations; particular attention is paid to the seriousness of the injury, the offence that may have led to the treatment and the specific position of the goalkeeper. The intention is to reduce the incentive for tactical stoppages of play, but at the same time not to punish a team when there is a genuine need for medical intervention. It is precisely this balance that explains why goalkeeper injuries have remained a particularly sensitive area and the subject of additional trials.
VAR gets new powers, but with limitations
Alongside measures against time-wasting, changes to the VAR protocol are also being introduced at the 2026 World Cup. IFAB has approved three adjustments under which VAR, when there is clear evidence, may check red cards resulting from an obviously wrong second yellow card, cases of mistaken identity when the wrong team or wrong player has been sanctioned and, if the competition permits it, clearly wrongly awarded corner kicks provided that the check can be completed immediately and without delaying the restart. According to FIFA’s announcement on the appointment of referees for the tournament, these adjustments will apply at the World Cup, along with other measures aimed at the tempo of play.
Also particularly important is the announced use of VAR for attacking offences that occur before the ball is in play, for example before a corner or free kick is taken, if such an offence directly affects a goal, a penalty kick or a disciplinary decision. Collina, according to the BBC report carried by BusinessGhana, sought clarification of the protocol because he considered it unfair for a goal to remain valid if a defender was prevented from defending because of a clear illegal block by an attacker before the set piece was taken. As an example, the friendly match between England and Uruguay at Wembley in March 2026 was cited, in which there was discussion of Adam Wharton’s block on José María Giménez before an action from a corner. The new interpretation should allow VAR to recommend an intervention in such situations, but according to the available information it will not be used for every contact in the penalty area or for a general “combing through” of every set piece.
The World Cup as a test for new refereeing practice
The 2026 World Cup will be held in Canada, Mexico and the United States, and FIFA describes it as the largest edition of the tournament so far: 48 national teams will take part, and 104 matches will be played. According to FIFA’s official announcement, 52 referees, 88 assistant referees and 30 video match officials from all six confederations and 50 national associations have been appointed for the tournament. When announcing the refereeing list, Collina stressed that the selected officials had been monitored and prepared through a process lasting several years and that a high level of consistency would be demanded of them. This is important because it will not be enough for the new rules simply to exist in the rulebook; their credibility will depend on whether they are applied equally in matches of different intensity, importance and cultural football context.
The tournament begins on 11 June 2026 in Mexico City with the match between Mexico and South Africa, according to FIFA’s official announcement on organisational measures. FIFA also announced that three-minute hydration breaks will be mandatory in every match in the middle of each half, regardless of weather conditions. These breaks, which the referee will designate around the 22nd minute of each half, were introduced as a measure to protect players and create equal conditions for all teams. At the same time, they create an interesting context for the ban on tactical timeouts during goalkeeper injuries: coaches will already have a pre-planned moment for brief communication, so additional informal stoppages will be even harder to justify by sporting necessity.
The line between protecting players and preventing abuse
The greatest challenge for FIFA and IFAB remains separating genuine injuries from situations used tactically. Football’s rules must always leave room for player safety, especially when it comes to goalkeepers, who are often exposed to collisions, jumps and contact in crowded areas. For that reason, the current approach is not based on punishing the goalkeeper himself or herself for seeking assistance, but on preventing the rest of the team from using the stoppage as an organised meeting. In practice, referees will be expected to manage the space clearly, direct players away from the benches and immediately signal what is allowed. Such communication could be just as important as the formal rules, because it will reduce the room for misunderstandings and later complaints.
For teams, this will mean adapting the way information is transmitted during the match. Instead of relying on extraordinary stoppages, coaching staffs will have to make greater use of planned breaks, half-time, substitutions and instructions to individual players. For referees, the new protocols will mean additional operational responsibility: besides judging fouls and disciplinary decisions, they will have to manage time, player behaviour, the space around the technical areas and quick VAR checks. That is precisely why the 2026 World Cup will be an important test not only for individual rules, but also for football’s ability to maintain the rhythm of the game without endangering the safety and rights of injured players to treatment.
Sources:
- BusinessGhana / BBC – report on FIFA’s ban on players going toward the bench during goalkeeper injuries and Collina’s explanations (link)
- FIFA / IFAB – official announcement on measures to improve match rhythm, the VAR protocol, substitutions and injury treatment (link)
- IFAB – official announcement on the eight-second rule for goalkeepers and awarding corners for holding the ball too long (link)
- FIFA – official announcement on the appointment of referees for the 2026 World Cup and the application of new measures at the tournament (link)
- FIFA – official announcement on mandatory hydration breaks at the 2026 World Cup (link)
- NWSL – official announcement of competition rules for the 2026 season and policy on goalkeeper injuries (link)