Football’s governing body, FIFA, is considering a significant adjustment to its disciplinary system ahead of the newly expanded FIFA World Cup—a move that could reshape how suspensions impact the tournament.
Under the proposal, yellow card “amnesty” checkpoints would be introduced at two stages of the competition.
Bookings would be cleared after the group phase and again following the quarter-finals.
This means players would no longer carry cautions deep into the knockout rounds, reducing the chances of missing crucial matches due to earlier minor infractions.
Currently, a player is suspended after accumulating two yellow cards across different matches, a rule that has frequently sidelined key figures during decisive fixtures.
With the tournament set to expand from 32 to 48 teams, the number of matches required to reach the semi-finals will increase—raising concerns that suspensions could play an even bigger role in determining outcomes.
Instead of simply increasing the suspension limit to three yellow cards, FIFA is leaning toward a system that resets disciplinary records at strategic points.
Players would still face bans for two cautions, but only within specific phases of the competition, limiting long-term consequences.
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The aim is to strike a balance between maintaining discipline and ensuring that the biggest games are contested by the best available players.
The proposal is expected to be discussed at an upcoming FIFA Council meeting, where a final decision on the rule change could be made.