'Expansion to 48 Nations' North America World Cup: 'Accumulated Warnings' Rules to Change – "Reset Twice After Group Stage and Round of 16"

*This content was translated by AI.

For the first time in history, the 2026 FIFA North America World Cup, which will be held with 48 participating nations, is expected to see a relaxation of disciplinary rules regarding accumulated yellow cards. This measure aims to reduce the burden on teams as the tournament expands and the number of matches increases.

On the 28th (Korea time), the UK's BBC reported that "FIFA is considering a plan to wipe out players' warning records twice during the main tournament of the North America World Cup." According to the media, FIFA is considering resetting prior yellow cards immediately after the conclusion of the group stage schedule and again after the completion of the round of 16 matches.

Under the previous 32-nation World Cup format, players were suspended for the next match if they accumulated two yellow cards during the five matches played from the group stage through the round of 16. Warning records were cleared once in total when teams reached the semi-finals.

However, with the number of participating nations in the North America tournament expanding significantly to 48, a new 32-team knockout stage has been introduced. This means the number of matches required to reach the round of 16 has increased from five to six. With one additional match added in the short tournament format, the likelihood of players suffering a fatal blow by being suspended from the knockout stage due to accumulated warnings has also increased.

It is reported that FIFA seriously considered two options: raising the disciplinary threshold from "two yellow cards" to "three yellow cards," or increasing the number of times warning records are cleared to twice. Ultimately, considering fairness, FIFA decided to clear yellow card records twice.

If the proposed amendment is finally approved at the FIFA Council meeting to be held in Vancouver, Canada, a one-match suspension will be imposed only if a player receives two yellow cards within the first three group stage matches, or accumulates two yellow cards during the three knockout matches from the round of 32 to the round of 16 after a reset.

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*This content was translated by AI.