FIFA was set to discuss a second World Cup yellow-card amnesty on Tuesday in Vancouver, Canada, as officials moved to reduce suspension risks in the expanded 48-team FIFA World Cup 2026. Under the proposal, yellow cards would be wiped after the group stage and again after the quarter-finals, while the suspension threshold would remain two bookings.
The change would create two shorter accumulation windows. A player booked twice in the three group matches would miss the round of 32, while two bookings from the round of 32 through the quarter-finals would trigger a semi-final suspension.
The proposal is tied to the expanded FIFA World Cup 2026 format, which grows the tournament from 32 to 48 teams and adds a round of 32. FIFA’s concern was that players reaching the last eight would otherwise carry booking risk across six matches instead of five.
FIFA’s official Congress page confirms the 76th FIFA Congress will take place in Vancouver on April 30, 2026, with representatives of all 211 member associations due to attend.
The Guardian reported that FIFA Council business in Vancouver this week also included financial measures linked to the 2026 World Cup, including proposed increases in prize money and development funding.
Current FIFA competition rules already include a yellow-card reset after the quarter-finals in major tournaments, a measure designed to reduce the risk of players missing finals through accumulated cautions. The proposed extra reset would adapt that approach to the longer 2026 World Cup schedule.
Read: FIFA World Cup 2026 Ticket Prices Hit $2.3M
The measure was widely expected to be approved, with final ratification likely around FIFA’s Congress week in Vancouver.
