VANCOUVER, Canada – Global football governing body FIFA has announced sweeping new disciplinary rules for this summer’s 2026 men’s World Cup, co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States, that will see players issued straight red cards for two controversial on-pitch behaviors, designed to address longstanding issues of racial abuse and unsportsmanlike protest. The changes were formally signed off during a recent meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB), held this week in Vancouver, ahead of the upcoming FIFA Congress scheduled for Thursday.
The first and most high-profile of the new regulations targets deliberate attempts to hide verbal racial abuse from match officials and cameras. Under the new rule, any player caught covering their mouth during a confrontational exchange with an opposing player can be issued a red card at the referee’s discretion, with final authority resting with the competition’s organizing body. The policy was directly prompted by a high-profile controversy in February’s Champions League fixture between Benfica and Real Madrid, where Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni was accused of repeatedly calling Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior a racial slur while covering his mouth to avoid being caught on audio recording. While Prestianni has repeatedly denied the allegation of racial abuse, he was ultimately banned for six matches (three of which were suspended) by governing bodies for homophobic conduct arising from the incident. The case highlighted a common loophole used by players seeking to hurl abusive language without being identified, which FIFA is now moving to close.
A second equally sweeping rule change introduces red card penalties for any player who leaves the field of play in protest of a referee’s decision, and extends the penalty to any team official who incites players to stage such a walkout. In the most serious cases, FIFA confirmed that any team that causes a match to be abandoned through a mass walkout will automatically forfeit the fixture. This change comes in response to the widespread uproar following the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final, where Senegal’s entire team, led by head coach Pape Thiaw and his technical staff, walked off the pitch in Rabat after Morocco was awarded a late stoppage-time penalty. Morocco forward Brahim Diaz ultimately missed the penalty, and Senegal went on to secure a 1-0 win in extra time. However, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) issued a shocking ruling last month stripping Senegal of the continental title over the walkout, bringing global attention to the need for clearer, stricter rules around pitch protests.
The new regulations come as hundreds of FIFA delegates converge on Vancouver for Thursday’s FIFA Congress, the final major gathering of global football’s governing body ahead of the World Cup kickoff in June. FIFA officials have framed the changes as targeted, proactive steps to clean up the sport and address gaps in the existing rulebook that have allowed bad behavior to go unpunished in high-stakes matches.