Fifa to stop 'goalkeeper tactical timeouts' at 2026 World Cup

Players at the 2026 World Cup will be stopped from going to the technical area to talk to coaches when goalkeepers are injured, Fifa referees' chief Pierluigi Collina has revealed.

The International Football Association Board (Ifab) has also approved a request to change video assistant referee (VAR) protocol to allow reviews of attacking fouls that happen before the ball is in play.

The 'goalkeeper tactical timeout' has become a hot topic in recent years. It is used by a manager to get new instructions to his players, or to impact the momentum of the opposition.

In November, Leeds United boss Daniel Farke accused Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "bend the rules" and break up play.

The goalkeeper sits on the turf and signals for the physio, the other players rush to the technical area for a team talk, then as soon as the coach has delivered his instructions, the keeper simply gets up to play on.

The Ifab has been looking at the issue, but no law change has been agreed.

Leagues have been invited to hold a series of trials throughout the 2026-27 season to find a solution.

The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) - the women's professional league in the United States - introduced its own temporary measure earlier this year.

If a goalkeeper is injured, the players of both teams must stay where they are or gather in the centre circle.

Fifa will apply the same logic as the NWSL and prevent players from going to the touchline.

But this only tackles part of the problem, as it will not stop the tactic being used simply to break up the momentum of the other team.

Collina said all nations should be aware this is now not permitted.

"We had a workshop with all the coaches of all the 48 teams and we told them that referees will be proactive," Collina said.

"They will not allow the two teams to go to the benches when a goalkeeper is lying on the ground injured.

"The goalkeeper has the right to be injured, but the players do not have the right to leave the field of play to have a sort of timeout with their respective coaches."

The effectiveness of the measure at the World Cup is open to debate, as there will be a three-minute hydration break in each half, creating a natural timeout for coaches.

The officials will be responsible for enforcing the rule but Collina said there will be no yellow cards or disciplinary action for players who do try to go over and speak to the coach.

"It's quite weird that there really is only the referee, the physio and the goalkeeper on the field play," Collina added.

"All the other players leave the pitch, and it is not good."

Collina asked for protocol to be updated so the VAR could step in if a foul occurred before the ball was in play.

There have been several examples, such as a goal scored by England in their 1-1 draw against Uruguay at Wembley in March.

Cole Palmer delivered a corner into the area, but before the ball was kicked Adam Wharton blocked the run of Jose Maria Gimenez.

That allowed the ball to run through to Harvey Barnes, who saw his effort saved by Fernando Muslera, and Ben White tapped in from close range.

VAR protocol did not previously allow a review for a foul before a corner has been taken, but the Italian asked Ifab for permission to change this.

The Ifab has now accepted the request, and says that any foul before the ball is in play that has a direct impact can be reviewed.

This will apply to a goal, penalty kick or disciplinary sanction which happens on a corner or free-kick.

The measure will be applied for the World Cup and reassessed after the tournament.

It means that for the England goal, the VAR would be able to suggest a retake of the corner because of the foul by Wharton on Gimenez.

"We think this is very unfair, that the goal is given when the defender is prevented from being able to defend," Collina said.

"A clear, illegal block made by an attacker. The only objective was to prevent the defender from being able to defend on his opponent.

"We are very confident to receive a clarification from the Ifab before the World Cup, saying that the VAR can intervene just before the ball is in play. We are convinced that nobody can object."

This will only apply to attacking fouls, and not to defensive fouls for holding or pulling.

Collina also explained the new rule for players who cover their mouth with a hand, arm or shirt in confrontation with an opponent.

This will now be a red card after the controversial incident involving Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni and Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr in a Champions League game in February.

Prestianni received a six-game ban from Uefa for homophobic conduct.

"If the conversation is friendly, they can continue to do it without any problem," Collina said.

"When the conversation is confrontational, covering the mouth means that you are doing something very wrong, potentially, and the sanction is the red card."

Collina also said his referees would be ready to monitor grappling inside the area, with officials provided with data on the tactical approach of teams.

This summer's World Cup will see a high number of law changes, primarily around eradicating tactics to slow the tempo of play and waste time.

Collina hopes these changes will mean stoppage time is not as long as at the 2022 World Cup. But there is guaranteed to be three minutes in each half for the hydration breaks.

Throw-in countdown (five seconds): If a player deliberately delays the restart of play, the throw can be given to the opposition.

Goal-kick countdown (five seconds): Also applies to deliberate attempts to run down the clock and can result in a corner being awarded.

Time-limited substitutions (10 seconds): Substituted players have 10 seconds to leave the field at the nearest point. If they fail to do so, the substitute cannot enter the field for at least one minute and the team must continue with 10 players.

Off-field treatment (one minute): Players who are treated by the physio must stay off the field for 60 seconds. There are some exceptions, including for goalkeepers, injuries and if the opponent is booked or sent off.

Players covering their mouths: Any player covering their mouth in a confrontational situation with an opponent may be sanctioned with a red card.

As well as Collina's request for the change to the protocol on corners, there are also a couple of other tweaks to VAR.

Corners can be checked: If VAR can make sure that a corner has been correctly awarded, but this must be done quickly and before the restart. Does not apply to wrongly awarded goal-kicks.

Second yellows can be reviewed: Players sent off for two cautions can have the second booking checked - but there will be no reviews for potential second yellows.