"FIFA" amends the regulations for the "2026 World Cup."

The International Football Federation (FIFA) announced a new amendment to the regulations of the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada from June 11 to July 19, stating that certain penalties and suspensions imposed during the preliminary qualifiers will not carry over to the finals. This decision came after consultations with continental federations during a meeting held in Vancouver, Canada.

FIFA clarified in a statement that the FIFA Council unanimously decided to amend Article 10 (paragraph 2) of the tournament regulations, so that individual yellow cards or one or two-match suspensions resulting from accumulated warnings in different qualifying matches will not carry over to the finals. Additionally, suspensions resulting from indirect red cards or direct red cards related to denying an opponent a clear goal-scoring opportunity or violent conduct will not carry over either.

The statement added that penalties resulting from serious direct red cards during the qualifiers will remain in effect and will carry over to the finals.

FIFA indicated that the decision aims to ensure that national teams participate with their strongest possible lineups in the tournament, while also maintaining a balance between integrity, discipline, performance quality, equality, and the global appeal of the competition.