The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) announced the adoption of a new amendment to the regulations of the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada during the period from June 11 to July 19, which stipulates that some penalties will not be carried over from the qualifiers to the finals.
The Federation explained, in a statement issued after its council meeting in the Canadian city of Vancouver, that the amendment included Article 10 (Paragraph 2) of the tournament regulations, so that individual yellow cards, or suspensions for one or more matches resulting from the accumulation of warnings during the qualifiers, will not be transferred to the finals.
The decision also includes not transferring suspensions resulting from indirect red cards or direct red cards related to preventing a clear goal opportunity or due to violent play, during the qualifying matches.
On the other hand, FIFA confirmed that the penalties resulting from direct red cards in serious cases will remain in effect and will move to the finals without change.
This amendment, according to the International Federation, aims to ensure that national teams participate with their best squads in the World Cup, while preserving the principles of justice, discipline, quality of competition, and the attractiveness of the global tournament.
