Recently, FIFA officially confirmed the announcements that 48 national teams will participate in the 2026 World Cup.
However, this was just a detail compared to the innovations the organization is preparing for the game itself.
Possible changes were mentioned by FIFA director and former famous footballer Marco van Basten.
Elimination of Offside Rule
"I am very curious how football would change if the offside rule was removed. I'm afraid most people would oppose it, but it sounds tempting.
Now a defending team can form a real wall in the penalty area that is difficult to break through.
Without offside, attackers could run behind defenders. The game would become more attractive, more goals would be scored. That's what fans want to see. The offside rule was abolished in ice hockey and it didn't cause any problems.
Teams would also adapt in football," Van Basten said.
Alternative to Penalty Shootouts
Instead of extra time and penalty shootouts, a goalkeeper challenge could be introduced. The player would stand 25 meters from the goal and have 8 seconds to try to score a goal.
The goalkeeper would stay in the penalty area and after the first shot, it would not be possible to shoot again. Each team would have 5 attempts.
"Players could dribble, shoot from distance, wait - a typical game situation would be created," argued the celebrity.
Elimination of Yellow Cards
Instead of receiving a yellow card, the player would have to leave the field for a certain time. For example, in the Premier League, the most offending teams - Watford, West Ham, or Man Utd would suffer the most.
"This would scare the players, because playing 10 against 11 is much harder, and what if there were only 8-9 players left," the Dutchman reasoned.
Effective Game Time
FIFA wants to remove situations in football where, with little time left until the end of the match, one team starts deliberately wasting time. In the last 10 minutes of the game, the ball could only be stopped for 10 seconds.
"The audience wants to see action on the field, goals, and teams' struggle. Substitutions, penalty kicks, or medical assistance take up a lot of time," Van Basten insisted.
Maximum Number of Mistakes
Players would be allowed to make only a limited number of mistakes and if the limit is exceeded, the footballer would have to leave the field.
This would discourage stars like Paul Pogba, who has already accumulated 44 mistakes this season.
"I have an idea - a defender, like in basketball, could only make five mistakes and would be kicked out of the field."
