FIFA has revised its World Cup regulations regarding yellow cards to minimize the number of player suspensions during crucial elimination matches in this summer’s tournament in North America.
In a ruling by FIFA’s council on Tuesday, it was decided to implement an additional amnesty for yellow cards, which will erase player disciplinary records twice throughout the expanded tournament.
“In light of the new format that includes an additional knockout round, the FIFA Council has amended the Regulations for the FIFA World Cup 2026, stipulating that single yellow cards received in the tournament will be nullified after the group stage and again post-quarter-finals,” FIFA announced in a statement.
Under the current World Cup rules, players with yellow cards in two separate matches must serve a one-match suspension. In previous tournaments, the amnesty was granted only once, following the quarterfinals, ensuring that no player would miss the final due to a yellow card received in the semifinals.
The introduction of the 48-team World Cup format, featuring an additional round of 32 in the knockout stage, led FIFA to evaluate ways to keep players eligible for play.
With the new regulations, a yellow card received during the three-match group stage will be expunged, allowing players to enter the knockout rounds with a clean slate.
A second yellow card amnesty will take effect after the quarterfinals for any player who has received a single yellow card in the knockout rounds and whose team progresses to the semifinals.
The tournament is scheduled to take place from June 11 to July 19 in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
This report included information from ESPN’s Lizzy Becherano and The Associated Press.