FIFA is changing the rules of banning yellow cards in the World Cup

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Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, FIFA is planning to make major changes to the yellow card ban rules. According to BBC Sports, a new ‘amnesty’ system is being considered, where players will be cleared of previous yellow cards at two specific stages of the tournament.

As per the proposed rule, all players’ accumulated yellow cards will be canceled after the group stage is over. Similarly, there is a plan to empty the card once again after the quarter finals are over. FIFA believes this will reduce the risk of players being banned throughout the competition.

Currently, the rule is that if a player receives two yellow cards in the first five matches, he is banned from the next match. However, as the number of teams increased from 32 to 48 in the 2026 World Cup, the number of matches will also increase, as a result of which there is a risk that the card pressure on the players will increase.

With the new format adding an extra round to the knockout stage, a team may have to play six matches to reach the semi-finals. For this reason, this change is being undertaken to reduce the risk that big stars may get banned in important matches.

Initially, there was also thought of increasing the yellow card limit from two to three. But in the end, FIFA believes that a two-stage card cancellation system will be more effective.

The proposal will be discussed at the FIFA Council meeting in Vancouver, Canada. If approved, as per the new rules, the two yellow card count after the group stage and quarter finals will be zero, but the rule of one match ban for two yellow cards will remain as before.

Note that the 2026 World Cup will be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.