FIFA announced a new change in the 2026 World Cup rules, which prohibits the transfer of penalties and suspensions from the qualifying rounds to the finals. The decision was made by the FIFA Council, which amended Article 10, paragraph 2 of the tournament regulations, to reorganize the issue of accumulating cards and penalties before the start of the World Cup. This change will be applied in the 2026 World Cup, meaning that the team that receives a penalty during the qualifying rounds will not carry it over to the finals. This decision comes after consultations with the continental associations during a meeting held in Vancouver, Canada.