FIFA World Cup 2026 / refereeing: "The new measures have already proved their effectiveness" (P. Collina)

"The five-second limit given players to take a goal kick or a throw-in, the ten seconds to leave the field of play when substituted and the one minute off the field of play after an injury: these new measures have all been very effective and unanimously considered as very positive innovations," Pierluigi Collina, chief refereeing officer at FIFA and chairman of the FIFA referees committee, said in a message published on the international federation’s website on 30 June 2026.

The Italian reviews the group stage of the 2026 World Cup with regard to the new refereeing measures introduced for the tournament, particularly those aimed at combating time-wasting during throw-ins, goal kicks and substitutions (see “Further reading”).

"Generally speaking, they have been well respected. In the 72 group stage matches, only one substituted player failed to respect the ten-second limit. On the other hand, many players, on being substituted, were seen running towards the touchline to leave the field quickly, even when their team was leading at the time. The five-second limit was exceeded four times…