Nigeria’s Super Falcons striker, Asisat Oshoala, has expressed her dissatisfaction with the upcoming football rule changes set to be implemented at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The 2026 World Cup, to be held in Mexico, the USA, and Canada, is set to be one of the biggest and most ambitious yet.
Ahead of the competition, which begins in June, FIFA has introduced several significant changes to the game.
Over the years, there have been frequent complaints regarding time-wasting, and most of these new regulations are aimed at curbing those delays.
For instance, this season already saw the implementation of an eight-second countdown for goalkeepers holding the ball in the box.
Now, FIFA is introducing strictly allotted times for substitutions, throw-ins, and medical treatments. Furthermore, the use of VAR has been expanded to include yellow cards and corner-kick decisions.
As players grapple with these updates, Super Falcons star and six-time CAF Women’s Player of the Year, Oshoala, has voiced her frustration specifically with the medical treatment protocol.
One of FIFA’s new rules mandates that any player who receives treatment on the pitch must remain sidelined for 60 seconds before being allowed to return to play.
The primary rationale behind this is to discourage players from feigning injuries to waste time. It is believed that a forced 60-second penalty will make players think twice before going down unnecessarily.
However, Oshoala is highly uncomfortable with this change. Taking to her Instagram page, she argued that the rule lacks logic because players who are victims of genuine fouls and require medical attention will still be penalized by spending a minute off the pitch, leaving their team temporarily disadvantaged.
On Instagram, she wrote, “This is crazy, because how do I get fouled and then still get to lose a minute? Come on, guys.”
Like Oshoala, many players are likely to voice their concerns as these regulations take effect.
However, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, as the success of these rules will only be truly tested on the world stage this summer. If they prove more disruptive than helpful, further tweaks will likely follow.
