FIFA cleared the disciplinary records of players who have one yellow card after the three-game group stage so they start the knockout phase afresh.An extra amnesty for yellow cards — wiping player disciplinary records twice during the expanded tournament in North America — was proposed to a meeting on Tuesday (April 28, 2026) of FIFA’s ruling council. Later, FIFA issued a statement confirming the change.At the World Cup, players must serve a one-game ban if they are shown a yellow card in two different games, but single yellow cards were cancelled at previous tournaments after the quarterfinals stage. That ensured no player would miss the final through suspension just because of getting a yellow card in the semifinal.
The expanded 48-team World Cup format, with an extra round-of-32 knockout stage, led to a FIFA review aimed at helping keep players on the field.