SOCCER – THE 2026–2027 football season will introduce a series of amendments to the Laws of the Game by FIFA and the International Football Association Board (IFAB), with one of the major changes focusing on a five-second visual countdown for throw-ins and goal kicks.
The new regulations will come into effect on July 1 and will be used during the FIFA World Cup 2026 as well as in leagues and competitions worldwide. The changes are aimed at increasing match tempo and reducing interruptions during games.
Under the revised rules, teams will have five seconds to restart play during throw-ins and goal kicks. A visible countdown will be used to enforce the time restriction.
If a player fails to take a throw-in within the allocated period, possession will be awarded to the opposing team. In the case of goal kicks, any delay beyond the countdown will result in a corner kick being awarded to the opposition.
The amendment forms part of broader efforts by FIFA and IFAB to address time-wasting in football. Studies into top-flight matches have shown that although games regularly include between 11 and 13 minutes of added time, the ball is only in active play for approximately 55 to 58 minutes of the standard 90-minute match.
More than 30 minutes are commonly lost through stoppages, including injuries, substitutions and delayed restarts.
Throw-ins and goal kicks alone are reported to take between 30 and 36 seconds on average.
Former Eswatini Football Association (EFA) technical director and coach Myengwa Sibandze welcomed the changes, describing them as necessary to reduce time lost during matches.
“These are necessary changes as a lot of time was consumed on substitutions. There will be more playing time now. Time wasting is cheating in a way, particularly from the leading team,” Sibandze said.
Other amendments include a 10-second substitution limit and new regulations governing on-field medical treatment.
