VAR, set pieces and substitutions: Every new Premier League rule for 2026-27 season | OneFootball

VAR is getting a revamp, while set pieces have gone under the microscope

The 2026-27 Premier League season is almost upon us, and that will mean getting to grips with the new rules in place.

Referees already have a tough enough time as it is trying to preside over the 22 players on the pitch, but they will have to get used to another set of regulations as the new campaign approaches.

There were several new measures set out at this summer’s World Cup, which seemed to work relatively well, and some of them look as though they are going to be enforced throughout the English pyramid too.

Now, Standard Sport examines the new rules for the upcoming season...

From this year, players that have been substituted will have 10 seconds to leave the pitch, and they must continue to leave the pitch at the nearest possible exit.

If a player does not leave the field within the allotted 10 seconds, then he will be held back for a minute and his team will be forced to play on with 10 men for that 60 seconds.

The exceptions here are if the player going off is injured or if their security is deemed to be at risk.

There will now be countdowns at goal kicks and throw-ins to tackle delays to the restart.

The countdown will last five seconds, and will be used not when the ball goes out, but instead if a ploy to waste time is spotted.

That could be leaving the ball for a team-mate, or actively going for another ball rather than the one that had been used during the game.

The referee will use his whistle to signal the start of a countdown, and they will use their arm to count.

If a player is counted out, then the throw will be given to the opposing side.

However, long throw-in routines are not included here, as they are considered set-pieces.

The same will be in place for goalkeepers at goal kicks, and they will be forced to concede a corner if they take too long.

Players that are treated on the pitch by the physio must not exit the field for a whole minute, rather than the 30 seconds as if was before.

That has also changed to players that go down and the ball then goes out of play, and as such, that particular player will be forced to leave the pitch for 60 seconds as well.

The exception is if a player who commits a foul is booked or sent off, then the injured player does not have to remain off the pitch.

The classic tactical timeout of a goalkeeper going down and requiring treatment so that his manager can have a split-second to gather his players became a hot topic ahead of the World Cup.

Now, there are measures in place looking to tackle it. If a goalkeeper requests treatment from the physio, one of his outfield team-mates must leave the pitch for 60 seconds, with there being a 10-second limit to communicate to the fourth official who is making way temporarily.

If that 10 seconds is breached, then the captain is forfeited for the minute.

There are some new VAR rules as well.

Now, the video assistants are able to offer their thoughts on second bookable offences which send a player off.

There cannot be a review for a potential booking for a player that has already been cautioned, with there needing to be a clear error to award a foul, rather than there just be split opinion on a card.

At set pieces, VAR can review if there has been a foul commmitted before the delivery comes in, and this will be the case if the routine leads to a goal, penalty or card.

The corner would be retaken if so, rather than a free kick being awarded, since one cannot be called with the ball not already in play.

That therefore means that fouls committed by the defending team before the ball is in play cannot be reviewed by VAR, as, because the ball is not in play, no penalty can be awarded.

VAR can also step in in a case of mistaken identity, but the assistants will not, unlike at the World Cup, be able to overturn wrong corner decisions. There will also be no reviews for red cards for players that cover their mouths in confrontation.