Sean Dyche gives his verdict on new World Cup rules including VAR for corners

Sean Dyche has shared his thoughts on some of the rule changes that will be implemented at this summer's World Cup, including 10-second substitutions and new anti-timewasting measures.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has announced a host of changes for the upcoming tournament as they attempt to increase match tempo and improve fan and player experience.

"We are trying to clean the game as much as possible," said chairman of the FIFA referees committee Pierluigi Collina.

From five-second countdowns for throw-ins and goal-kicks to mandatory one-minute off-field treatment periods, the new rules could have a huge impact at the 48-team tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

One of the regulations involves VAR overturning wrongly awarded second yellow cards and incorrectly awarded corners. In fact, VAR can step in if a foul is committed before the ball enters play at a set piece.

Somebody who has a strong opinion on the Video Assistant Referee, and football in general, is former Burnley, Everton and Nottingham Forest manager Sean Dyche, who recently fronted the world’s first VAR Spa.

So, what does he think of the World Cup's new rules? We sat down with the man himself to get his thoughts.

Rule: Substituted players will now have 10 seconds to leave the pitch. If they take longer, the incoming player will have to wait one minute before entering.

Dyche: "Ten seconds is not that long to get off the pitch. I think the tolerance window should be a bit wider than 10 seconds. I get the principle of it, punish teams who are trying to kill a game, but 10 seconds is not a lot of time, especially if it's late in the game when players are genuinely tired.

"The hardest call is, how do you prove whether someone's got cramp or not? How do you prove whether they've got a head injury or not? How can referees decide that? They're not medics. But yeah, I think 10 seconds is pretty harsh."

🚨 New World Cup rule in action:

Hlynsson 🇮🇸 took more than 10 secs to leave the field during his substitution.

As a result, his replacement had to wait a full minute before entering.

In that minute, Japan 🇯🇵 scored. pic.twitter.com/fcCaYgdFtz

— World Cup HQ (@WorldCup26HQ) May 31, 2026

Rule: Referees will now use a visible five-second countdown for throw-ins and goal-kicks. If a throw-in is not taken before the countdown expires, possession will be awarded to the opposition. If a goal-kick is delayed beyond the countdown, the opposing side will receive a corner kick.

Dyche: "Everyone's been fighting against long-ball football for 15 years, but what you're going to get is people picking the ball up and just launching it down the line. Because why are you going to take a risk in five seconds? You're not going to throw it across your goal line to the keeper in five seconds.

"I understand why it's like with the goalkeepers, but five seconds is not very long at all to take a throw-in."

Rule: Players who receive treatment from medical staff on the field will generally be required to remain off the pitch for 60 seconds before returning, although exceptions will apply in certain situations.

Dyche: "It's a harsh price to pay if you've got someone who is genuinely injured. I mean, what it might do is stop people from feigning injury, because if you've got to come off for a minute, that doesn't seem a lot, but it is in football, when you're down to ten men for a minute, particularly later in the game.

"I'm a big fan of stopping feigning an injury. I definitely want that out of the game."

Rule: VAR can overturn wrongly awarded second yellow cards and incorrectly awarded corners / VAR can step in if a foul is committed before the ball enters play at a set piece.

Dyche: “Second yellow cards are really important because that can mean a big change in the game. So I agree with that one.

"Corners, I think there's been a big hoo-ha this season, but only because corners have come back in fashion, so it was always going to happen.

"You had 10 years of people putting in set pieces, maybe as a secondary draw. And then teams started getting a higher level of outcome. They've got to look at that to understand they're getting involved in that more.

"It's still going to be a can of worms. We saw the recent one down at West Ham, that was a can of worms, that one. So that's not going to be easy.

"The margins are tight and people want success. And when they want success, everyone will work on their margins as high as they can and as hard as they can. So the officiation has to be right. It's not easy."

As mentioned above, Dyche recently fronted the world’s first VAR Spa, a tongue-in-cheek setup built inside a converted van that acted as a travelling ‘relief unit’ for anyone who is losing patience with VAR.

A new study by Opta suggests the average VAR check takes 58.3 seconds. However, a poll of British football fans found they think it feels almost four times longer, highlighting a big gap between perception and reality.

Snickers research found 37% of fans say the video assistant referee has made football too slow, while 72% of fans would support a time limit being introduced for VAR decisions, with Spurs fans being the biggest advocate (81%).

Sean Dyche gives his honest thoughts on VAR

Speaking to SPORTbible ahead of this summer's World Cup, Dyche gave a balanced response when asked about the much-debated topic of VAR.

"I get the fan frustration, trust me. I get a lot of fans who come up to me and ask about it. My opinion, which I've always made clear, professionally speaking, is important. You could lose your job because of a decision," he said.

"I mean, it's very hard going for fans because everything gets checked. They do need to speed it up, that's for sure.

"I don't think VAR is that bad, I've got to be honest. There are plenty of things I can think of that are worse in football. Diving, feigning injuries. There are two things straight away which are far more important than VAR, in my opinion.

"When they touch their head and dive on the floor as if someone's hit them with a cricket bat. I don't think it's good for the future of the game. And it's certainly not good for kids watching because they all replicate it at grassroots level."

One in three UK fans say VAR has made football less enjoyable. Does Dyche agree with that statement?

"No, I don't think it's made it less enjoyable on the whole because stats and facts suggest that football is still pulling in mad numbers of people, who are watching it both through screens and live.

"But like I said, it's a tough call because professionally speaking, you want the right outcome. Don't forget, when fans are on the right side of a VAR call, it feels brilliant, doesn't it? You know what I mean?

"I think it's a double-edged sword. When you're on the wrong side of it, it feels awful. I think speeding it up is the key thing here."