According to BBC Sport, the governing body is exploring a system that would introduce two separate “reset” points for cautions during the tournament. Under the proposal, all yellow cards would be cleared after the group stage and again following the quarter-finals, effectively creating two amnesty points within the competition.
The move would mark a shift from the current rule set, where a player is automatically suspended after receiving two yellow cards across different matches. That framework has occasionally led to high-profile absences in knockout rounds, where even minor infractions earlier in the tournament can have significant consequences.
With the FIFA World Cup expanding from 32 to 48 teams, the tournament structure will include an additional knockout round, increasing the total number of matches required to reach the semi-finals. Players could now feature in up to six games before the last four, raising concerns within FIFA that the existing caution system may be too punitive over a longer schedule.
Rather than raising the threshold to three yellow cards, FIFA officials are reportedly leaning toward the dual-amnesty model, which would still punish repeated bookings but within shorter competitive windows. The idea is to ensure that disciplinary consistency is maintained while reducing the likelihood of top players missing marquee fixtures due to accumulated cautions picked up earlier in the tournament.
The proposal is expected to be tabled at an upcoming FIFA Council meeting, where it could move closer to formal adoption if it gains sufficient support.