FIFA adding another yellow card amnesty for World Cup

FIFA is planning to add a second yellow card “amnesty” period for the 2026 World Cup, The Athletic reported Monday.

The FIFA Council will meet Tuesday in Vancouver to discuss new rules ahead of the first 48-team tournament in World Cup history.

That reportedly will include an additional yellow card amnesty to reduce the possibility of players missing matches in the knockout stage due to accumulation.

Players’ yellows were cleared after the quarterfinals in previous World Cups, but FIFA intends to wipe yellows after both the group stage and after the quarters, if the council approves the plan.

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A player earning two bookings has traditionally resulted in a one-match suspension, and with the tournament expanding in 2026, an additional knockout round (the Round of 32) means one more opportunity for a player to pick up a yellow before they’re wiped before the quarters.

With two amnesty periods, a player will only trigger the suspension for yellow-card accumulation by getting two bookings over the three group stage games or two across the first three rounds of the knockouts preceding the semifinals.