As we continue to look ahead to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, we work our way down the list of potential questions readers may have during the matches. We have already looked at the new rules implemented for this year’s World Cup, and now we are tackling another series of questions.
Specifically, substitutions.
Here is what you need to know for the 2026 FIFA World Cup when it comes to substitutes.
How many substitutions does a team get during a match?
Let’s start with this question:
How many substitutions does each team get during a World Cup match?
The answer, well, depends on how long the match lasts.
At the beginning of a match, each team is allowed a maximum of five substitutes. Teams are also allowed a maximum of three “substitution opportunities” — more on those in a moment.
However, under Law 3 of the FIFA Laws of the Game, teams are allowed one additional “permanent concussion substitution” per match. This substitution may be made “regardless of the number of substitutions already made,” and if a team makes such a substitution, the opposing team will receive an additional “regular” substitution.
If a match heads to extra time — which will only be possible once the FIFA World Cup reaches the knockout stages — then additional substitutions are possible.
If a team has not used the maximum of substitutes and/or substitution opportunities, any unused substitutes or substitution opportunities carry over to extra time and may be used. In addition, teams may use one additional substitute (whether or not they have used the maximum number of five allowed substitutes) and gain an additional substitution (whether or not they have used the maximum number of three substitution opportunities).
What are substitution opportunities?
FIFA increased the number of allowed substitutes from three to five during the COVID-19 pandemic, and decided to keep that number for all future competitions. However, in a move to keep the same pace of play, FIFA implemented the idea of “substitution opportunities,” keeping that number at three.
This means that teams can only stop play three times during a match to bring substitutes onto the pitch. There are some caveats to this number.
First, where both teams make substitutions at the same time, this counts as a used substitution opportunity for each team.
Second, substitutes made at halftime do not count as a substitution opportunity.
As noted above, when a match goes into extra time, teams are given an additional substitution, regardless of whether they have already used their allotted three or not. As with regular time, if both teams make a substitution at the same time during extra time, it counts as a used substitution opportunity for both sides.
Any substitutions made in the short window between the end of regular time, and the start of extra time, do not count as a used substitution opportunity. In addition, any substitutions made during the halftime break during extra time do not count as a used substitution opportunity.
Is there anything else to know?
For those watching on FOX or FS1, the scorebug for this year’s World Cup will help you keep track of the substitutions that have been used, and the substitutions remaining for each team. Take this clip from Thursday’s opening match between Mexico and South Africa, as 17-year-old phenom Gilberto Mora comes onto the pitch, and note what happens below the Mexico line on the scorebug:
One of the five notches turns grey, indicating the second substitution for Mexico of the match. Something else to help you during each match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
