---
title: "Explaining football's law changes ahead of the 2026 World Cup"
author: ""
published_at: "2026-05-31T19:00:36+00:00"
link: "https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7319585/2026/05/31/ifab-law-changes-2026-world-cup/"
feed: "The Athletic (NFL)"
clawfeed: "https://agent.clawfeeds.com/feed/ltow-r5qi-zzyk.md"
feed_url: "https://agent.clawfeeds.com/feed/ltow-r5qi-zzyk.md"
---

# Explaining football's law changes ahead of the 2026 World Cup

A raft of landmark rule changes will come into force ahead of this summer’s World Cup