New Football Rules for 2026-27: Timewasting Crackdown, Substitutions and VAR Changes

The 2026-27 football season will feature an unprecedented package of new laws designed to tackle timewasting and increase the amount of time the ball is in play, with English football adopting all changes from the World Cup immediately.

Five-Second Throw-In Countdown

The most visible change for fans will be the five-second throw-in countdown. Referees will blow their whistle, signal the start of the count by visibly moving an arm up and down, and if the player has not restarted play within five seconds, the throw will be awarded to the other team.

The countdown applies to any tactic that deliberately delays the restart — including leaving the ball on a cone or dropping it for a team-mate. It does not cover set-piece routines like long throws, where the count may begin only once players are in position.

As an additional deterrent to goalkeepers taking excessive time over goal-kicks, especially late in matches, the referee can now give the opposition a corner if the keeper exceeds the allowed time.

Stricter Substitutions and Injury Rules

Substituted players now have 10 seconds to leave the field at the nearest point. If they fail, the substitute cannot enter for at least one minute and the team must play with 10 players. Middlesbrough striker Will Lankshear became the first victim of this rule in the Carabao Cup, jogging off while clapping the fans and seeing his replacement blocked for several minutes.

A player who causes the referee to stop the game — even without requesting treatment — must now stay off for one minute. This is designed to prevent players deliberately breaking the opposition’s momentum. The rule does not apply if the ball naturally goes out of play, or if the player who committed the foul receives a yellow or red card, which reduces the potential for tactical bad challenges to get a team reduced to 10 men.

Goalkeeper Tactical Timeout Ban

The "goalkeeper tactical timeout" has become a notorious tactic in recent seasons: the goalkeeper sits on the turf, signals for the physio, and the rest of the team rushes to the technical area for a team talk. Once the coach delivers instructions, the keeper stands up and play resumes.

All English professional leagues will adopt a new trial to eradicate this. If a goalkeeper asks for treatment, an outfield player — chosen by the coach and communicated within 10 seconds — must leave the field for one minute. Other countries are trialling a slightly different version where the captain must always leave.

Goal-Kick and VAR Changes

The trend of taking short goal-kicks inside the box has created confusion over when the kick has actually been taken. If a defender handles the ball after the keeper kicks it, the handling is now a penalty (or an indirect free-kick for a backpass if the goalkeeper handles it). The key change is that any touch by the goalkeeper or a defender now definitively counts as the goal-kick being taken.

On VAR, the only new area is "mistaken identity" — where the referee penalises one team for a handball, but the handball was actually by the other team. Unlike at the World Cup, VAR will not intervene on simulation, as the IFAB has clarified this is not the correct interpretation of the law change.