What are the penalties for time-wasting on goal kicks and substitutions at the 2026 World Cup?
New for 2026, a goalkeeper who controls the ball with their hands for more than eight seconds gives away a corner kick, with the referee counting down the last five on a raised hand. Slow goal kicks, throw-ins and other stalling are punished as time-wasting — a yellow card — and a substitute who deliberately delays leaving the field is also cautioned, with the lost time added back as stoppage time.
- 1New for 2026, if a goalkeeper controls the ball with their hand(s)/arm(s) for more than eight seconds, the referee awards a corner kick to the opponents — replacing the old six-second indirect free kick[2]
- 2The referee signals the limit with a visual five-second countdown (a raised hand) so everyone can see the clock running down[2]
- 3Deliberately delaying a restart such as a goal kick or throw-in is time-wasting: it is a cautionable offence (yellow card), not an automatic corner[1]
- 4A player being substituted must leave the field promptly and is cautioned (yellow card) if they excessively delay the restart; the referee also adds the lost time back as stoppage time[1]
Time-wasting used to be a soft offence punished by the odd yellow card; for 2026 the biggest change hits goalkeepers — by handing the other team a corner.
What happens if the goalkeeper holds the ball too long?
A corner kick. New for 2026, a goalkeeper may control the ball with their hands for a maximum of eight seconds. The referee shows a visual five-second countdown with a raised arm, and if the keeper hasn't released it by zero, the opponents are awarded a corner — a much tougher penalty than the old indirect free kick.
What if a team time-wastes on a goal kick or throw-in?
That is treated as ordinary time-wasting, not the goalkeeper rule. The referee can caution the offender with a yellow card for delaying the restart, and crucially adds the lost seconds back as stoppage time — so stalling never actually shortens the game.
What are the penalties for slow substitutions?
A player coming off must leave the field quickly, at the nearest point unless the referee directs otherwise. If they deliberately dawdle to waste time, they are cautioned with a yellow card. And if a substitute tries to enter before the outgoing player has left, the substitute is sent back to wait for the correct moment.
So how do you actually stop time-wasting?
The threat of a yellow card plus the referee's added time are the main tools, and for 2026 the new eight-second goalkeeper rule adds a real deterrent at the back. Two yellows in a match still mean a red, so repeat stallers risk being sent off.
The closest American parallel is the delay-of-game penalty against the play clock, but soccer's 2026 version can be harsher. In the NFL you lose five yards; here, a goalkeeper who sits on the ball too long simply hands the other team a corner — a genuine scoring chance. It's less a small territorial nudge and more a turnover for wasting time.
Key Takeaways
- For 2026, a goalkeeper who holds the ball longer than eight seconds gives away a corner kick to the opponents, after a visible five-second countdown.
- Slow goal kicks, throw-ins and substitutions are punished as time-wasting with a yellow card, and the referee adds the lost time back as stoppage time.
- IFAB — Laws of the Game (Law 12: Fouls and Misconduct & Law 3: The Players)(accessed 2026-06-24)
- IFAB — Law changes 2025/26 (goalkeeper eight-second rule and corner kick)(accessed 2026-06-24)