Japan perfectly demonstrates the new rules at the World Cup.

Leaving the field a few seconds late, Iceland had to play with ten men and immediately conceded a goal in their friendly match against Japan on May 31st.

Japan took full advantage of Iceland's mistake.

The friendly match between Japan and Iceland in Tokyo last weekend became one of the most notable tests ahead of the 2026 World Cup. For the first time, the "10-second rule" was applied and almost immediately had a direct impact on the outcome of the match.

In the 86th minute, with the score still 0-0, coach Arnar Gunnlaugsson decided to make two substitutions to strengthen the Iceland team for the final minutes of the match. While defender Gretarsson left the field to make way for Hermannsson without any difficulty, the situation with the other substitution unfolded in a completely different way.

Midfielder Kristian Hlynsson took too long to leave the field after the substitution board was raised. According to the new rules, a player being substituted only has 10 seconds to leave the field at the nearest point on the touchline.

Polish referee Damian Kos immediately intervened, showing Hlynsson a yellow card and preventing substitute Thorvaldsson from appearing on the pitch. As a result, Iceland had to play with only 10 players for one minute, in accordance with the new FIFA regulations.

That brief period turned out to be a turning point in the match. Taking advantage of their numerical superiority, Japan increased the pressure and Koki Ogawa scored the only goal, securing a 1-0 victory for the home team.

The new FIFA rule aims to curb time-wasting through late-game substitutions. Accordingly, players leaving the field must complete their substitution within 10 seconds and must leave the field at the nearest point on the touchline.

If a violation occurs, the substitute is only permitted to enter the field during the first break after the game resumes, which is one minute later.

The incident in Tokyo illustrates the very real impact of the new regulations. With the 2026 World Cup fast approaching, this serves as a warning to all teams before entering the biggest tournament on the planet.

Source: https://znews.vn/nhat-ban-thi-pham-hoan-hao-luat-moi-o-world-cup-post1655875.html