IFAB is considering expanding VAR's authority, allowing the technology to intervene in more situations such as corner kicks and a second yellow card by refereees, to improve accuracy in big matches.
At the same time, this organization also considered changing the penalty rules, accordingly a penalty will end immediately if the goalkeeper successfully blocks it, and the team will not have the opportunity to play again.
These proposals are expected to be voted on at the IFAB General Assembly in March 2026, with the possibility of taking effect from June 1, 2026, in time for the World Cup in North America.
British media said that allowing VAR to correct decisions related to corner kicks received a lot of support, but VAR's intervention to withdraw a second yellow card was still controversial due to the high subjectivity of this decision. However, IFAB pledged that the decisions from VAR would be made quickly to avoid interrupting the match.
Regarding the penalty rule, this change is to limit the advantage too much for the team to award a penalty and prevent players from entering the penalty area before the shot.
Changes to VAR will not require testing before application, while the new penalty law will go through a long-term testing phase. The IFAB consists of representatives from the four Football Associations of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales and FIFA, each with its own vote, and to pass the new law, at least 6 out of 9 votes are needed.
