From the 2026 World Cup, a red card will be given to any player covering their mouth during an altercation.

The global football body has also decided, on Tuesday, to sanction with a red card any player leaving the field to contest a decision by the referee.

Fifa has sought lessons from the past. Two new situations during a match will now result in a red card during the next World Cup (June 11 – July 19). Following a meeting in Vancouver (Canada) of the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the guardian of football rules, Fifa decided on Tuesday, April 28, that any player covering their mouth during a verbal exchange with an opponent could receive a red card. The same sanction is planned for players leaving the field to protest against a referee’s decision.

These two rule changes will take effect at the next World Cup, as Fifa has decided to curb racist incidents. The body is responding, notably, to the controversy sparked in February when Benfica’s Argentine winger Gianluca Prestianni was accused of making racist remarks while covering his mouth towards Real Madrid’s Brazilian star Vinicius Jr during a Champions League match. The Argentine denied making racist comments but received a six-match suspension, three of which were suspended.

The second modification comes after the uproar during the Africa Cup of Nations final earlier this year when the players of Senegal, coach Pape Thiaw, and his staff left the field in Rabat after a penalty was awarded to Morocco in stoppage time. Senegal later won the final after extra time but was stripped of the title by the African Football Confederation (CAF), a controversial decision challenged at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.