Serie A will introduce new rules for the 2026/27 season aimed at reducing time-wasting and increasing effective playing time.
Serie A is set to introduce a series of new rules for the 2026/27 season as Italian football authorities look to reduce time-wasting and increase the amount of effective playing time in matches. Refereeing officials and representatives from all 20 top-flight clubs met on Tuesday to discuss the changes ahead of the new campaign.
The meeting was led by AIA technical director Domenico Messina and chief referee designator Daniele Orsato, alongside Lega Serie A officials and representatives from the league’s clubs. The new measures are largely based on protocols tested during this summer’s World Cup and are designed to make stoppages shorter and games more fluid.
One of the biggest changes will affect substitutions, with players now given only 10 seconds to leave the pitch once the substitution board has been raised. If they fail to do so within that time, the incoming player will have to wait until the next stoppage before entering, creating a direct incentive for players to leave the field quickly.
Novità arbitrali per la stagione di Serie A:
– un giocatore sostituito deve uscire entro 10 secondi dall’esposizione del tabellone per il cambio. In caso di più cambi insieme tutti i calciatori sostituiti devono uscire entro 10 secondi dall’indicazione dell’ultima sostituzione
— Francesco Nasato (@FraNasato) August 18, 2026
Serie A is also targeting delays during restarts. Goal kicks and throw-ins will be subject to a five-second countdown, with a corner awarded to the opposition if a team takes longer than the permitted time. Players who receive treatment will also have to remain off the pitch for one full minute after play resumes, preventing teams from immediately returning to their defensive shape.
The changes also extend to VAR, which will now have greater powers in specific situations. Video officials will be able to intervene for cases of mistaken identity and clearly incorrect second yellow cards, expanding the circumstances in which technology can correct an obvious refereeing error.
AIA’s Messina stressed the importance of ensuring players, coaches and officials understand the new regulations before the season begins. Lega Serie A CEO Luigi De Siervo also said the measures were intended to make matches “more dynamic and spectacular”, while emphasising the importance of cooperation between the league and refereeing authorities.
The new Serie A rules represent a wider attempt to tackle one of football’s long-running problems: the amount of time lost through substitutions, injuries, restarts and deliberate delays.
With Italian football adopting measures trialled on the international stage, the 2026/27 season could provide an early indication of whether stricter time-management rules can produce more effective playing time without disrupting the flow of the game.
