FIFA has introduced new rules in a bid to cut out time-wasting and increase the tempo of each match at the 2026 World Cup. The changes are designed to make the games more entertaining, but they could also have a significant impact on World Cup prediction market trading.
What’s changing for the World Cup
FIFA wants the ball to be in play for more minutes in each match, which could affect popular markets like total goals and both teams to score. A clampdown on dissent could also result in more red cards, which would also impact these markets. Some of the changes are specific to this summer’s World Cup, but most will carry over into the 2026/27 club season.
The thrust is clear. Pierluigi Collina, FIFA’s chief refereeing officer, said he wants to clean up the game “as much as possible” by cutting time-wasting, raising the tempo, cracking down on dissent and discrimination, and giving VAR (the video assistant referee) sharper teeth. Here are the key rule changes, along with the potential trading impact on World Cup prediction markets.
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No more tactical timeouts
Soccer fans often groan when they see the opposition goalkeeper collapse to the ground, clutching his leg. Some injuries are genuine, but goalkeepers often feign injury to give the outfield players a chance to gather at the touchline for a tactical debriefing from the coach.
It’s a familiar ruse, but FIFA has decided to stamp it out. Goalkeepers can still be treated on the pitch during the World Cup, but referees will prevent outfield players from drifting over to the bench for an impromptu team meeting.
This rule change might make it harder for a team that’s losing to turn things around, which is worth bearing in mind if you’re making live trades on a World Cup game at sites like Kalshi and Polymarket.
Off-field treatment for injured players
If an outfield player receives treatment on the pitch, he will need to stay off the field for at least one minute after play restarts. This rule change is designed to remove the incentive for feigning or exaggerating an injury.
At previous tournaments, if a team was clinging to a narrow lead, the players would often go down in agony and receive treatment from the medical staff. This would disrupt the flow of the opposition team. Fans would be exasperated when those players would simply get up and carry on, so FIFA has decided to crack down on this skulduggery.
On the flipside, players can genuinely be injured, and it seems harsh that the team will have to play with 10 men for a full minute after treatment is applied. This could also lead to more goals, as teams are more likely to score when they have an 11-versus-10 advantage.
FIFA will make some exceptions: goalkeepers, concussions, head traumas, teammate collisions, and players who are due to take a penalty. Yet the message is clear: the ball will be in play for longer, and teams are likely to be a man short in tense situations.
Five-second countdowns for throw-ins and goal kicks
Since the start of the 2025/26 season, goalkeepers have been required to release the ball within eight seconds. If the goalkeeper fails to throw or kick the ball, the opposing team is awarded a corner kick.
This rule will be in force at the 2026 World Cup, but FIFA has also introduced extra rules to improve the flow of each game. Referees will now run a visible five-second countdown for throw-ins and goal kicks. You can expect to see the referee’s hand raised as he counts down the seconds.
If a throw-in isn’t taken before the count expires, possession is handed to the other team. If a goal kick isn’t taken within the five-second window, the opposing team will be awarded a corner.
These rules should ensure that the ball is in play for much longer, which could boost the number of goals in each game. Just bear in mind that the rules are all public, so they should be priced in when you’re browsing prediction markets.
The 10-second substitution rule
Continuing this theme, players will now have just 10 seconds to leave the pitch after they’ve been substituted. They will need to exit the pitch at the nearest point on the touchline, rather than ambling over to the dugout in slow-motion in a bid to run down the clock.
If a player dawdles for more than 10 seconds, his replacement can’t come on for at least one minute. That’s a major punishment, so we can expect the players to leave the pitch quickly.
This is another rule that will keep the ball in play for longer, potentially resulting in more goals in each match.
Hydration breaks
Some players could struggle to cope with the fierce summer heat in North America this summer. Many are coming off a long, grueling club season, so they will be exhausted, and they could start wilting in the heat.
This could counterbalance FIFA’s rule changes, which are designed to make each game a more entertaining spectacle. FIFA has addressed this by introducing hydration breaks at the midpoint of each half – roughly the 22nd or 23rd minute, and then the 67th or 68th minute.
The hydration breaks will help players recover during tense games, but they’ll also give the managers a chance to make an extra tactical reset. We could see goals from revitalized, debriefed players in the immediate aftermath of these breaks, which is worth keeping in mind if you’re trading in-play.
Expanded VAR powers
VAR has been controversial since it was introduced in 2018, but FIFA has doubled down on the technology. Its remit has been widened for this summer’s World Cup, as it no longer covers just red cards, penalties, and goal checks.
The video assistant can now intervene to overturn an incorrect second yellow card or correct any cases of mistaken identity when cards are shown. VAR can also reverse an incorrectly awarded corner kick, although only if it’s immediate and doesn’t delay the restart. It can’t reverse a goal kick that should have been a corner, which may frustrate some fans.
Finally, VAR can flag a foul committed before play restarts, such as an attacker blocking a defender at a set piece. This could potentially reduce the number of goals from corners and free kicks.
Red cards for covering the mouth or protesting
We could potentially see more red cards at the 2026 World Cup. Players will be shown a straight red card for covering their mouths while speaking in confrontational situations.
It follows the case of Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni, who was banned for six games after being found guilty of homophobic conduct against Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior in February. Vinícius accused him of making a racial slur, but Prestianni later said he actually uttered a homophobic slur while covering his mouth. Either way, FIFA will crack down on this behavior.
Any players who walk off the pitch in protest of a referee’s decision will also be shown red cards. This is a response to the dramatic Africa Cup of Nations final, when the Senegal team left the field in protest at a penalty awarded against them before returning to win the game – a result that was later overturned in Morocco’s favor.
The rule changes are designed to cut out dissent and discrimination, but they could lead to more goals, as teams are more likely to concede when they’re a man short.
