New World Cup regulations
For this, players immediately see the red card
Updated April 30, 2026 – 4:09 a.mReading time: 2 minutes
By covering their mouths, footballers often want to disguise what they are saying. If they do this in an argument during the World Cup, they will now face a severe penalty.
The International Football Association Board (Ifab) approved two new rules for the World Cup at a special meeting in Vancouver. Anyone who puts their hand over their mouth in a confrontation with an opponent risks a red card in the future – as do players who leave the pitch in protest against a referee’s decision. This also applies to officials asking players to do so.
Fifa President Gianni Infantino complained almost two months ago and demanded: “If a player covers his mouth and says something and this has racist consequences, then of course he must be sent off.” With their hand over their mouth, players often try to disguise what they are saying from the public on the pitch. “That’s something I don’t understand anyway,” said Infantino.
In such a case you have to assume that the player said something on the pitch that he shouldn’t have said. “If you have nothing to hide, you don’t cover your mouth when you speak. It’s that simple,” Infantino said.
Whether the rule also applies to other competitions such as the Bundesliga or the Champions League is initially up to the organizers. However, it is possible that this will become a mandatory part of the rules in the long term, the Ifab said upon request.
The debate was sparked by an incident in the Champions League game between Real Madrid and Benfica Lisbon. Benfica’s professional Gianluca Prestianni pulled his jersey over his mouth in an argument with Vinícius Júnior. He was suspected of making racist comments – which he denied. UEFA banned the Argentine for six games, including three on probation, for a homophobic statement.
