IFAB Approves Red Cards for Mouth-Covering, Pitch Protests at 2026 WC

The International Football Association Board approved two new protocols on Tuesday that could result in red cards for players covering their mouths during on-field confrontations or leaving the pitch in protest of a referee's decision, with the measures set to apply at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The changes, proposed by FIFA and unanimously endorsed at a special meeting in Vancouver ahead of Thursday's FIFA Congress, give competition organizers discretion to enforce the sanctions. "At the discretion of the competition organiser, any player covering their mouth in a confrontational situation with an opponent may be sanctioned with a red card," IFAB stated. The same discretion applies to players or team officials who leave the field in protest, with teams that cause a match to be abandoned facing forfeiture.

The mouth-covering rule stems from a February Champions League match between Benfica and Real Madrid, where Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni covered his mouth with his shirt while confronting Real Madrid's Vinícius Júnior after the Brazilian scored. Vinícius accused Prestianni of racial abuse, prompting UEFA to activate its anti-discrimination...