 "Goals from penalty rebounds may soon become a thing of the past. Image: AFP")
Football is likely to witness another radical change at the FIFA World Cup 2026, which is already expected to set several new records. The 2026 FIFA World Cup will feature 48 teams — the highest ever — and will be hosted across three countries: the United States, Canada, and Mexico, marking a first in the tournament’s history.
But rules on the field of play can also change, if a report in The Sun is to be believed. As per the report, the world football governing body is looking to bring in three major changes to the rules of the game.
Why FIFA wants to outlaw penalty rebounds?
One of the most radical could be disallowing rebounds from penalties. As per the proposal, the defending team will be awarded a goal-kick immediately after a penalty shot is saved or hits the post and rebounds.
As per the senior FIFA officials, a spot-kick is seen as a massive advantage for a team and allowing goals from rebound only adds to this advantage, which is being touted as ‘unfair’ by the top brass. They also feel that removing goals from penalty kick rebounds would help bring an end to the controversy regarding players entering the penalty area early during the spot-kick.
However, FIFA alone cannot bring in this change, as they would need to have it approved by the International FA Board (IFAB). For the penalty rebounds to be outlawed in time for the 2026 World Cup, the IFAB has to agree on changes by the end of February next year. The Sun report, however, added that there’s a ‘growing backing’ to scrap the penalty rebounds.
That’s not it. More changes are also being discussed, reportedly. This includes expanding the scope of VAR interventions. The changes could allow video officials to step in during a wider range of scenarios, including overturning second yellow cards to prevent unfair dismissals and reviewing contentious corner decisions in cases of clear errors.