IFAB

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) is the body that sets and administers the laws of association football worldwide. Founded in 1886, it is the oldest football governing body in existence, comprising the four British football associations (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) and FIFA, with FIFA holding four votes and the British associations one each. Any change to the laws of the game requires a three-quarters majority (six of eight votes) before it can be adopted globally. IFAB meets annually; its decisions bind all FIFA competitions and most national leagues.

For the 2026 FIFA World Cup, IFAB introduced three rule changes that took effect from the start of the tournament: a red card for players covering their mouth during confrontations with opponents or officials; VAR review of second yellow cards before a player is sent off; and a mandatory hydration break near the 22nd minute of each half. The second-yellow VAR review represents a significant expansion of technology's role in match discipline, as VAR had previously been limited to red-card offences. IFAB drafted the mouth-covering rule as a strict-liability offence: the act of concealment itself is punishable regardless of what was said, closing the gap between Conduct visible to cameras and Conduct missed by on-field officials.

The mouth-covering rule was enforced in tournament conditions for the first time on 19 June 2026, when Paraguay's Miguel Almiron was dismissed in the first half of the Paraguay v Turkey match. The incident drew immediate scrutiny: Almiron's dismissal came in a routine scuffle that no party reported as discriminatory, raising an open question about whether strict-liability enforcement is proportionate when the rule's stated purpose is to catch discriminatory speech. IFAB meets annually and the enforcement controversy may inform how the rule is applied or refined ahead of its wider rollout.

On 15-16 July, footage appearing to show England's Jude Bellingham striking Argentina's Valentin Barco after the semi-final whistle opened the possibility of retrospective FIFA action before the bronze-medal match. Retrospective sanctioning of off-the-ball Conduct sits outside IFAB's own real-time VAR REMIT, which governs review during play rather than post-match video evidence, but the case echoes the gap the mouth-covering rule was designed to close: Conduct visible to broadcast cameras that on-field officials do not see in the moment.