At the Women’s World Cup, both England and the Republic of Ireland may encounter matches that last 100 minutes or more.
Referees have been instructed to crack down on time-wasting, similar to the guidelines implemented during the men’s finals in Qatar last year.
FIFA has communicated to referees participating in this summer’s tournament that any delays in play resulting from substitutions, player injuries, goal celebrations, and VAR interventions should be added on to the end of each half.
During the men’s tournament in Qatar, this led to an average of 11 minutes being added to matches, with England’s opening game against Iran seeing an additional 27 minutes of play.
Referees will also be prompted to be proactive during restarts such as free-kicks, throw-ins, and corners, while enforcing the six-second rule for goalkeepers, governing the maximum time they can hold the ball before releasing it.
Two major differences in Australia and New Zealand compared to Qatar will be referees announcing the final decision after an on-field review and clamping down on goalkeepers who try to distract the kicker in a penalty shootout.
Referees will tell the crowd in the stadium and the TV audience the final decision they have reached and why, following an on-field review.
This continues a trial that started at the men’s Club World Cup in Morocco in February.
VAR decisions that do not require an on-field review, such as offside calls, will not be communicated verbally by the referee but graphic illustrations of tight calls will appear on big screens, with semi-automated offside technology in use at these finals.
The game’s lawmakers have sought to clamp down on goalkeepers attempting to distract penalty takers in a shootout following the antics of Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez in the men’s World Cup final against France.
A referee would initially give a warning, followed by a yellow card, followed by a red if the initial warning is not heeded.
It is extremely unlikely a goalkeeper would be sent off during the shootout as any yellow card issued during the regular match or extra-time is wiped before heading into the shootout.
If the keeper did still manage to get themselves sent off, one of the outfield players already on the pitch would have to replace them in goal.