FIFA is weighing a significant adjustment to its disciplinary system that could reduce player suspensions caused by accumulated yellow cards, especially as preparations intensify for the expanded 48-team World Cup format.
According to reports the proposed reform introduces a second “amnesty point” within the tournament. Under the new plan being considered, all yellow cards would be wiped at the end of the group stage and again after the quarter-final stage.
Currently, players are automatically suspended after receiving two yellow cards across separate matches.
FIFA believes this system could unfairly affect teams in a longer tournament format, where players may now feature in up to six matches before the semi-finals due to the increased number of participating teams.
The governing body argues that the expansion from 32 to 48 teams increases the likelihood of key players missing crucial knockout games due to relatively minor cautions.
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Instead of raising the threshold to three yellow cards, officials are reportedly favouring a reset-based system to better balance discipline with fairness.
If approved, the new rule would require players to receive two bookings within a shorter window either during the group stage or from the knockout phase up to the quarter-finals for a suspension to apply.
FIFA is expected to present and debate the proposal at an upcoming FIFA Council meeting, where a final decision could be made.
The potential change is aimed at preserving competitive integrity while ensuring that major World Cup matches are not decided by the absence of star players due to accumulated cautions.
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