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The changes have already seen Miguel Almiron sent off against Türkiye and two teams knocked out of the competition
The second wave of group stage matches at the 2026 World Cup are currently underway – and the new rules enforced by FIFA are already being felt.
Ahead of the tournament, which is hosted across Mexico, Canada and the USA, the governing body brought in a range of rule changes – and we’re not just talking about the loathed hydration breaks.
The new rules have altered which teams can advance to the knockout stages, how some red cards are handed out, and a number of ways in which VAR can be used.
There are also changes to rules around players going on and off the pitch, alleged time-wasting and substitutions.
Here’s what you need to know.
The 2026 tournament has seen several rule changes (Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images)
No covering of the mouth during a ‘confrontation’
Paraguay were reduced to 10-men during their 1-0 win against Türkiye after former Newcastle winger Miguel Almiron was sent off following an altercation with some of the Turkish players.
Almiron’s red card was unique as he was the first player to ever be sent off for covering their mouth during an altercation with another player.
The rule was brought in by FIFA in the aftermath of an incident involving Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior and Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni.
During a Champions League clash back in February, Junior alleged that he’d been racially abused by Prestianni, who appeared to make a comment to the Brazilian after covering his mouth.
An investigation later concluded that Prestianni had made a homophobic rather than a racist comment, with the Argentinian receiving a six-match ban for his conduct.
FIFA then implemented the mouth-covering rule to avoid future incidents. An important caveat is that players are still allowed to cover their mouths when players are chatting casually or discussing tactics, but the moment the situation is deemed confrontational, it is a red card.
