The International Football Association Board (The IFAB) has approved a number of changes to the Laws of the Game for 2025/26. After the major positive impact of trials aimed at preventing goalkeepers from holding the ball for too long, The IFAB unanimously decided to amend Law 12.2 (Indirect free kick). The amendment means that if a goalkeeper holds the ball for longer than eight seconds (with the referee using a visual five-second countdown), a corner kick will be awarded to the opposing team (rather than an indirect free kick if a goalkeeper holds the ball for more than six seconds, as per the current Laws). The following decisions were also taken at the 139th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of The IFAB, hosted by the Irish Football Association (IFA) in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
In relation to Law 3.10 (Team captain), guidelines have been introduced for any competitions wishing to apply the principle of only the captain approaching the referee in specific situations, which was successfully implemented in a number of competitions last year. The IFAB agreed that stronger cooperation and communication between captains and referees, who often face verbal and/or physical dissent when making decisions, can help instil higher levels of fairness and mutual respect, both of which are core values of the game. The AGM participants emphasised that competition organisers, players and match officials should work collaboratively to adhere to these guidelines.
Furthermore, the next edition of the Laws of the Game, which will come into effect on 1 July 2025, will feature the following amendments:
- Law 8.2 (Dropped ball): If the ball is outside the penalty area when play is stopped, it is dropped for the team that had or would have gained possession if this is clear to the referee; otherwise, it is dropped for the team that last touched it. The ball is dropped at its position when play was stopped.
- Law 9.2 (Ball in play): An indirect free kick with no disciplinary sanction will be awarded if a team official, substitute, substituted or sent-off player or player who is temporarily off the field of play touches the ball as it is leaving the field of play and there was no intention to interfere unfairly.
- Video assistant referee (VAR) protocol: Competitions now have the option for the referee to make an announcement after a VAR review or lengthy VAR check.
- Practical guidelines for match officials: As the VAR can monitor goal/no goal decisions and goalkeeper encroachment, the assistant referee should be positioned in line with the penalty mark, which is the offside line.
In accordance with the applicable regulations that allow competitions starting before 1 July 2025 to implement the new Laws earlier or to delay their implementation until no later than the start of the next competition, these changes will be in force at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™, which kicks off on 14 June 2025.
Following positive feedback from competitions in which referees were permitted to wear body cameras in a limited number of top-level matches so that the footage could be deployed for training and education purposes, The IFAB supported FIFA’s undertaking to test body cameras worn by match officials in FIFA competitions to identify possible future use and develop quality and safety standards. FIFA confirmed its intention for referees to wear body cameras at the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup™ and for the footage to be used as part of the live match broadcasts during the tournament.
Following the positive impact on player behaviour of body cameras worn by referees at grassroots level in England, it was agreed that further testing should be carried out and the use of body cameras promoted.
The IFAB also decided to proactively identify competitions to conduct additional offside trials with a view to fostering attacking football and encouraging goalscoring opportunities while maintaining the game’s attractiveness. FIFA will carry out such trials at some of its upcoming competitions.
FIFA also informed The IFAB about the trial with Football Video Support, a cost-effective system that requires very few cameras and was successfully tested at several FIFA competitions in 2024. Given the positive impact to date, it was agreed that the trials would be extended to other competitions.
In addition, information was presented on the ongoing trials aimed at improving participant behaviour, while FIFA provided an update on its Suspect and Protect concussion-awareness campaign, which is now into its latest phase of expansion, with more FIFA Member Associations from all confederations becoming engaged in information sessions designed to support the campaign’s roll-out locally.
The meeting, chaired by the IFA, was also attended by representatives from FIFA, The FA, the Scottish FA, the FA of Wales and The IFAB administration.
