Japan's 1-0 friendly victory over Iceland on Sunday offered an early glimpse into the impact of football's new substitution rules, but coach Hajime Moriyasu has warned his players to be cautious.
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has introduced a strict 10-second limit for players to leave the field during substitutions, set to be implemented from the 2026-27 season and at the upcoming World Cup. If a player fails to depart within this timeframe, their replacement can only enter at the first stoppage after a minute has elapsed following the restart, and only once signalled by the referee.
This rule proved decisive in Japan's favour when Iceland's Isak Thorvaldsson was unable to come on for Kristian Hlynsson, leaving Japan with a temporary numerical advantage. Koki Ogawa headed in the winning goal in the 87th minute.
"I thought the players handled the new rule adjustments today with almost no issues," Moriyasu told reporters. "When we scored, I think Iceland were temporarily down one player. Situations like that can happen during substitutions, or when a player is returning to the pitch after treatment. Under the new rules, players won't necessarily be able to get back on the pitch as quickly as before. That's something we need to be mindful of."
Another new introduction is a three-minute hydration break in each half. Moriyasu emphasised the importance of using this time efficiently for tactical instructions. "In those three minutes, we have to organise the key points we need to get across and communicate them clearly to the players," he added. "For the second half, we used a whiteboard because there were a number of changes we wanted to discuss. I felt that how well we use those three minutes could have a major impact on the outcome of matches."
