VAR, timewasting and subs - new rules for the new season

What the report says

BBC Sport Football reports that the 2026-27 season will bring a broad set of new laws across English football, with most aimed at reducing timewasting and keeping matches moving. The changes will apply from the Community Shield through the Premier League and down to grassroots levels, although VAR will remain unchanged in some areas. The article says the rules were first trialled at the World Cup and are now being introduced more widely after causing some early confusion in the Carabao Cup.

Among the main measures are countdowns for goal-kicks and throw-ins when players appear to be deliberately delaying restarts, time limits for substituted players to leave the pitch, and a longer compulsory pause for injured players. BBC Sport says substituted players will have 10 seconds to exit, while injured players must normally go off for one minute, with some exceptions. The article also highlights a new approach to goalkeeper stoppages, intended to stop teams using treatment breaks as tactical timeouts.

The report notes that there will be clearer handling of the ball in the penalty area when goal-kicks are taken short, so defenders touching the ball in that situation can now be penalised consistently. On VAR, the new trials are limited: officials may review second yellow-card dismissals and certain attacking fouls before the ball is in play if they directly affect a goal or set piece outcome. BBC Sport frames the changes as an effort to influence player behaviour and improve flow rather than simply increase punishment.