Players who cover their mouths when confronting opponents or leave the pitch in protest at refereeing decisions could receive a straight red card at the 2026 World Cup, following a regulation change approved by the International Football Association Board (Ifab). The new protocols will be in place for the tournament starting in June, as confirmed ahead of Thursday’s Fifa Congress in Vancouver.
Ifab has not mandated the rules for other competitions, leaving organisers to decide whether to adopt them. The red card for leaving the pitch stems from controversy at the 2026 Africa Cup of Nations final, where several Senegal players walked off after a late penalty decision. Morocco’s Brahim Díaz missed that penalty, and Senegal won in extra time.
“At the discretion of the competition organiser, the referee may sanction with a red card any player who leaves the field of play in protest at a referee’s decision,” Ifab said. “This new rule will also apply to any team official who incites players to leave the field of play. A team that causes a match to be abandoned will, in principle, forfeit the match.”
European domestic leagues have raised objections to the automatic red card, citing the possibility that a player leaving the pitch may later be found to have suffered racist abuse. The issue of covering mouths has also been linked to racism after a February incident where Real Madrid’s Vinícius Jr accused Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni of racially abusing him while covering his mouth. Uefa banned Prestianni for six matches for homophobic comments, with Fifa president Gianni Infantino calling for a clampdown.
Infantino has also pushed for harsher punishments for players leaving the pitch after the Afcon final. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) appeal board later overturned the result, awarding the game to Morocco, though Senegal have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
