2026 World Cup rule changes: Two new red card offenses added

A pair of high-profile incidents have led to rule changes that will go into effect at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with players set to be shown a red card if they cover their mouths during a confrontation and also sent off if they leave the field in protest. Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni covered his mouth with his shirt during a confrontation with Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior in a high-profile UEFA Champions League contest in February. After being accused of racism, the Argentine defended himself by saying he had instead used homophobic language.

The spat caused a 10-minute delay in the match that eventually resumed with Prestianni still on the field. He later was given a six-match ban for homophobic conduct. Under regulations approved Tuesday, April 28 by The International Football Association Board (IFAB), the independent regulatory body which governs the laws of the game, Prestianni now would be sent off.

"At the discretion of the competition organizer, any player covering their mouth in a confrontational situation with an opponent may be sanctioned with a red card," a FIFA news release read. "It's a bad gesture," Pierluigi Collina, chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, said in a statement. "We need to take care of how important the impact is of anything that happens on the field of play on the new generations of football players and football supporters, football fans.

And this goes in that direction. " The IFAB also agreed to a rules amendment that will allow referees to show players and officials a red card if they leave the field of play in protest of a decision or encourage players to do the same. Senegal manager Pape Thiaw notably ordered his team to leave the field late in January's African Cup of Nations final against Morocco.