FIFA plans new yellow card amnesty rule for expanded World Cup

FIFA is considering changes to its suspension rules ahead of this summer’s World Cup, with plans to introduce an additional amnesty stage for accumulated yellow cards.

The proposal would see all bookings cleared at the end of the group stage, in addition to the existing reset after the quarter-finals. The move is aimed at reducing the risk of players missing key matches due to suspensions.

Under the current system, players who receive two yellow cards before the semi-finals are automatically suspended. With the tournament expanding to 48 teams and adding an extra knockout round, FIFA believes the risk of suspension has increased significantly.

Teams will now play more matches to reach the latter stages, meaning players could accumulate bookings across six games before the quarter-finals. FIFA fears this could leave many players at risk of missing crucial fixtures, including the semi-finals.

Rather than raising the suspension threshold to three yellow cards, the governing body prefers introducing two cut-off points to manage the issue more fairly.

If approved, players would only face suspension by picking up two bookings within specific stages of the competition, either during the group phase or across the knockout rounds up to the quarter-finals.

The proposal is expected to be discussed at a FIFA Council meeting in Vancouver, where a final decision could be taken ahead of the tournament.