The countdown to the new campaign is underway

Several rule changes for the new 2026/2027 season have been announced by the English Football League.

With Sheffield Wednesday likely to come up against some ‘dark arts’ in League One, Owls fans will be pleased to hear that the alterations are designed to maintain the pace and flow of the game. If, as hoped, Henrik Pedersen’s men are challenging at the top, they will probably have to overcome lots of time-wasting and frustration tactics from opposition teams.

But the EFL has confirmed a number of rule changes that should, in theory, prevent that from happening. Here is a summary of some of the main tweaks that supporters should notice:

GOALKEEPERS FAKING INJURY

A goalkeeper going down ‘injured’ only to make a miraculous recovery as soon as a manager has held a tactical team talk on the sidelines has needed to be clamped down on for a long time. Now there is a solution: a new trial will start where a manager must nominate an outfield player to leave the pitch immediately. The nominated player must remain off the field for a minimum of one minute after play restarts. Genuine injuries will continue to receive appropriate medical attention while removing any potential unfair sporting advantage associated with stoppages. This is part of a wider focus on maintaining the pace, flow and integrity of matches by reducing unnecessary delays and minimising disruption tactics.

SUBSTITUTES

Players who are being substituted will have 10 seconds to leave the pitch from the moment a change is signalled. If a player takes longer than 10 seconds to come off, they will only be allowed to come on after one minute has elapsed. Exceptions may apply in cases involving injury, safety, security or safeguarding considerations.

HOLDING

The EFL say that holding is another big focus for the upcoming season, including:

Use of both arms to hold
Clear sustained shirt pulling
Players focusing solely on their opponent rather than the ball
Actions that clearly prevent an opponent from competing fairly
Non-footballing holding actions
Mutual holding and non-impactful contact will not automatically be penalised.

GOAL KICKS AND THROW-INS

A five-second countdown, decided by the referee, will be used when players unnecessarily delay taking a throw-in or goal-kick. The punishment for delaying a throw-in is possession being awarded to the opposition. For goal-kicks, a corner will be awarded. For when a goalkeeper has control of the ball in their hands, the eight-second rule still applies. Players will not be penalised if they are clearly in the process of taking the restart as the countdown reaches its conclusion. The countdown can begin, but is not limited to, when a player slowly retrieves the ball, takes up an incorrect position at a throw-in, or places the ball in an incorrect position at a goal-kick.

HAIRPULLING

Following consultation across the game, it has been agreed that:

A clear and deliberate action involving excessive force and/or brutality will result in a red card for violent conduct
A clear action without excessive force will result in a yellow card for unsporting behaviour
Negligible, accidental or inadvertent contact with an opponent's hair is not usually an offence