IFAB Greenlights Red Card Rule for Mouth-Covering & Pitch Walks Ahead of World Cup
Players at this summer’s World Cup will risk an instant red card if they cover their mouths while speaking to opponents or storm off the pitch in protest at a referee’s decision, after IFAB approved two major law changes on Tuesday.
The amendments were rubber-stamped at a special International Football Association Board meeting in Vancouver and will be adopted by FIFA for the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted across the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
The mouth-covering rule comes after Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni sparked controversy in February when he raised his shirt to shield his mouth while confronting Real Madrid’s Vinícius Jr in the Champions League. Prestianni was later banned for six matches by UEFA for homophobic conduct following an investigation.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said the measure is meant to have “a deterrent effect.”
“If a player covers his mouth and says something with a racist consequence, then he has to be sent off, obviously,” Infantino said. “If you do not have something to hide, you don’t hide your mouth when you say something. That’s it, as simple as that.”
The final call will still rest with the referee, who must weigh the context before reaching for red.
The second change targets teams walking off the pitch in protest. The move was triggered by scenes at the Africa Cup of Nations final, where Senegal briefly left the field after a penalty was awarded to Morocco. Although Senegal returned and won 1-0 on the day, CAF later awarded Morocco a 3-0 victory after stripping Senegal of the title.
Under the new law, any player or official who incites a walk-off could see red, and a team that forces a match abandonment will forfeit by default.
IFAB has listed both changes as competition opt-ins, but FIFA confirmed they will be in force for the World Cup.
In a separate update, FIFA also confirmed a yellow card amnesty for the expanded 48-team tournament. All bookings will be wiped after the group stage and again after the quarter-finals to prevent players from being suspended late in the competition.
FIFA has also pledged increased funding for all participating nations to offset the high costs of competing across North America.
