The next World Cup could look and feel very different, not because of new stars or tactical revolutions, but because of a ticking clock. Football’s lawmakers are exploring a series of time-based measures designed to clamp down on time-wasting and keep matches flowing, and they are seriously considering introducing them on the game’s biggest stage.
Central to the proposals is the idea of visible or clearly signalled countdowns on some of the sport’s most familiar restarts: throw-ins, goal kicks and substitutions. The International Football Association Board, the body that writes and interprets the Laws of the Game, has already been encouraged by the impact of one such measure: the eight-second limit for goalkeepers to release the ball from their hands.
That rule, which formalised a long-standing but inconsistently enforced guideline, has been broadly welcomed by competition organisers and referees who say it has reduced one of the most blatant forms of time-wasting. Now IFAB wants to extend the same principle to other dead-ball situations that can quietly drain minutes from a match.
Under the proposals, referees would be empowered to impose a five-second countdown on goal kicks and throw-ins when they judge that a player is deliberately delaying the restart. Rather than relying on vague warnings or gestures, the referee would clearly signal that the clock is running. If the ball is not put back into play within those five seconds, the referee could sanction the player or award the restart to the opposing team, depending on the final wording of the law.
The aim is not to rush players through complex tactical decisions, but to remove the grey area that currently allows teams to slow the game down under the guise of organisation. Late in matches, especially when one side is protecting a narrow lead, goalkeepers and full-backs often take their time over restarts, walking to the opposite side of the six-yard box or adjusting their socks and boots while the seconds tick away. IFAB’s view is that this behaviour has become too ingrained and too damaging to the spectacle.
Substitutions, another long-standing source of frustration, are also in the spotlight. The lawmakers have identified the final minutes of matches as a particular problem, when coaches use late changes not only for tactical reasons but also to break up play and run down the clock. Players leaving the field at walking pace, or even slower, have become a familiar sight.
To address this, IFAB is considering a 10-second limit for substitutions. Once the referee signals the change, the player leaving the pitch would have a strictly controlled window to reach the touchline. If that limit is exceeded, the incoming substitute could be barred from entering the field for a set period, potentially up to a minute. That would turn time-wasting into a direct disadvantage for the team attempting it, rather than a benefit.
Injuries, too, are under review. While genuine injuries must always be treated with care, lawmakers are increasingly concerned about players going down to relieve pressure, disrupt an opponent’s momentum or allow teammates a breather. One proposal would require injured players who receive treatment on the pitch to remain off the field for a fixed period before rejoining play, unless the injury is the result of a serious incident such as a head clash.
The logic is simple: if leaving the field temporarily becomes the automatic consequence of going down and receiving treatment, players and coaches may think twice before using injury stoppages as a tactical tool. It is a delicate balance, however, and IFAB will need to ensure that any new rule does not discourage players from seeking help when they genuinely need it.
Asked directly whether these measures could be in place for the World Cup in North America, IFAB technical director David Elleray did not rule it out. He confirmed that the ideas are far enough advanced that they could be implemented in time for the tournament, provided trials and consultations proceed smoothly.
For Noel Mooney, chief executive of the Football Association of Wales and chair of IFAB’s latest annual business meeting in London, the motivation is clear. He has spoken of the widespread irritation among fans, coaches and players when matches are repeatedly interrupted for reasons that appear more tactical than necessary. The lawmakers, he suggested, want to restore trust that stoppages are genuine and that the game is being played in good faith.
Alongside the timekeeping proposals, IFAB is also considering refinements to the video assistant referee system. One suggestion is to allow VARs to review red cards that arise from factually incorrect second yellow cards. At present, VAR can intervene on straight red cards but not on second yellows, even when the referee has clearly mistaken the identity of the offender or misread a factual element of the incident.
Another proposal would allow VARs to step in when the wrong team is penalised for an offence that leads to a yellow or red card. This could cover situations where a foul is committed by one player but another is booked or sent off, or where a decision is clearly attributed to the wrong side. Competitions would also be given the option to use VAR to review corner-kick decisions, but only where such checks can be made without delaying the restart.
FIFA’s referees’ chief Pierluigi Collina is understood to be a strong supporter of expanding VAR’s role in this targeted way. Corner kicks, in particular, are expected to be checked at the World Cup, even if there is less enthusiasm for this in some domestic leagues. The challenge, as always with VAR, is to strike a balance between accuracy and flow: correcting clear errors without turning every set piece into a forensic examination.
Offside, one of football’s most contentious laws in the VAR era, is also back under the microscope. Trials of a so-called daylight offside rule, championed by former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, are set to continue. Under this radical approach, an attacker would be considered onside if any part of their body that can legally score a goal is level with the second-last defender. In other words, there must be clear daylight between the attacker and defender for offside to be called.
Elleray has indicated that a modified version of the trial is also being considered, in which a player would be onside if any part of their torso is level with the second-last defender. That would still be more generous to attackers than the current interpretation, which often punishes them for marginal infringements involving toes, knees or shoulders.
Wenger, now FIFA’s chief of global football development, argues that the daylight concept should be tested in its purest form before any compromise is adopted. He acknowledges that it would represent a major shift, not only in how offside is judged but in how defenders position themselves and hold their line. For decades, offside has been defined by the most forward part of the attacker’s body; moving to a torso-based or daylight standard would require a new mental model for players, coaches and officials alike.
