Brazil squad attends briefing on refereeing changes for the World Cup | OneFootball

Players and members of the Brazilian National Team coaching staff attended a lecture on Friday night (29) at Granja Comary, in Teresópolis (RJ), about changes to refereeing for the World Cup. For the first time, the new resolutions of the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the body that determines the rules of football, will be implemented starting at a World Cup.

The meeting was led by CBF Refereeing Commission president Rodrigo Cintra, who explained the changes to VAR protocols, goal kicks, throw-ins, and substitutions, among other situations. FIFA’s goal is to optimize the amount of time the ball is in play over the 90 minutes.

“This was the first time we had the opportunity to speak directly with the Brazilian National Team players about the changes for the 2026/27 season, which for the first time will take place at a World Cup. I noticed tremendous interest from the players in gaining a deep understanding of the details of these changes and the impacts they may have on a football match,” said Rodrigo Cintra.

“It is worth remembering that we stressed to the players that referees will not take the field looking for mistakes or counting seconds at random. These rule changes are meant to bring more fairness and increase the amount of time the ball is in play,” he added.

The Brazilian National Team attended the lecture on refereeing changes for the World CupCredits: Rafael Ribeiro/CBF

These new rules will already be applied in Brazil’s friendly against Panama on Sunday (31) at 6:30 p.m. (Brasília time) at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro. The refereeing team will be German, with Daniel Schlager as the main referee, Sven Washitzki-Günther and Rafael Foltyn as assistants, and Florian Badstübner as fourth official. Pascoal Müller and Robert Schröder will be on VAR.

In addition to Cintra, the meeting was also attended by CBF refereeing director Netto Góes, Refereeing Commission vice-president Marcelo Van Gasse, and Davi Feques, manager of CBF Academy.

See the changes:

VAR

With the aim of reviewing clear and obvious errors, VAR will review red cards resulting from a clearly incorrect second yellow card. It may also correct the on-field referee if they have mistaken the identity of the player who committed a foul and unfairly issued a yellow or red card.

CBF Refereeing Commission president Rodrigo Cintra detailed the rule changes that will be implemented starting with the World CupCredits: Rafael Ribeiro/CBF

VAR only changes who receives the card. It cannot review whether the foul occurred or not, except in penalty and goal situations.

VAR will also correct corner kicks or goal kicks awarded incorrectly. This correction must take place before play is restarted.

Substitutions

From the moment the fourth official raises the board to indicate a substitution, the player being replaced has up to ten seconds to leave the field by the nearest exit point. In the final five seconds, the on-field referee will begin a visual countdown.

If the player being replaced takes longer than ten seconds, their substitute must wait one minute after the next stoppage.

The Brazilian National Team attended the lecture on refereeing changes for the World CupCredits: Rafael Ribeiro/CBF

Injuries

When an outfield player suffers an apparent injury, the on-field referee will authorize the medical team to enter the field and assess the player, rather than treat them. Treatment must take place off the field, and the player must remain out of the game for one minute of running time after play resumes and only with the on-field referee’s authorization.

The exceptions to the one-minute rule apply in the following situations: goalkeeper injuries; a serious collision between players on the same team; concussions, cardiac problems, and serious head injuries; when the injured player is the designated penalty taker. They also apply in situations where the player who suffers the foul is injured and the offending player is punished with a yellow or red card, provided the treatment is quick.

Goal kicks and throw-ins

On goal kicks and throw-ins, players will have a maximum of five seconds to put the ball back into play.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.