Manchester United and England legend Gary Neville has praised FIFA for introducing new rules for the 2026 World Cup, calling the '10-second substitution' rule 'unbelievable'. The tournament kicks off on Thursday evening with co-hosts Mexico facing South Africa, while the USA play their opener early Saturday. England, tipped as contenders, begin against Croatia on Wednesday.
New World Cup rules introduced by FIFA
FIFA has implemented several changes aimed at speeding up play and improving fairness. Key rules include:
- 10-second substitutions: Subbed players must leave the pitch at the nearest exit within 10 seconds. Failure results in a one-minute delay for the replacement.
- Five-second restart: Goal-kicks and throw-ins must be taken within five seconds, or possession is reversed.
- VAR expansion: VAR can now intervene on incorrect corner kicks, fouls before play starts, and second yellow cards leading to reds.
- No covering mouths: Players cannot cover their mouths during confrontations with opponents or officials.
- Red card for leaving pitch: Players who leave the field in protest will be sent off.
- Hydration breaks: One three-minute break per half.
- Injured player rule: Outfield players treated by medical staff must leave the pitch for one minute (exceptions apply).
- No tactical timeouts for goalkeeper injuries: Players cannot receive instructions when a goalkeeper is treated.
Neville and Wright back changes
Speaking on The Overlap, Neville said: 'I think this is an unbelievable introduction – time-limited substitutions. I love that. It's so annoying watching players walk off slowly. You can criticise FIFA for many things, but I do think they get their referee stuff right. Those are pretty good introductions and will make the game better for the fans.' He also supported the five-second restart: 'I'm massively up for the throw-in counter. The amount of time taken in the Premier League… I've lost count of how many times we mentioned that last season.'
Ian Wright, former Arsenal and England striker, backed the rule against covering mouths: 'You can't prove things if players are covering their mouths. I think that's a good one. I quite like that.' This follows an incident where Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni covered his mouth during an altercation with Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior, who accused him of racial abuse.
Keane raises concerns about heat
Roy Keane questioned the timing of the rules given the expected high temperatures in some venues. 'Some of the rules are about the speed of play, but it's strange they've brought them in now when we're talking about the conditions being so tough for the players. If ever players will want to slow the game down, it will be now given the heat in some of these venues,' he said.
Japan already benefited from the 10-second substitution rule in a warm-up match, scoring a winner while Iceland were down to ten men due to a delayed substitution.
