What happens if the player being substituted takes more than ten seconds to leave?

New for 2026/27 (Time-limited substitution protocol, Law 3): once the substitution board is shown, the player being substituted must be off the field within ten seconds, at the nearest point on the boundary line unless the referee indicates otherwise. If the referee inspects the substitute's equipment at the halfway line, the ten seconds start after that inspection.

If the player is too slow:

• they must still leave as quickly as possible
• the substitute may not enter yet, and play restarts
• the substitution cannot be cancelled and a different substitute cannot be used
• the substitute may enter only with the referee's signal at the first stoppage after one minute (running clock) has passed since the restart
• the player is cautioned only if the delay is excessive

With several substitutions at one stoppage, all outgoing players must be off within ten seconds of the board for the last substitution, and the board must not be delayed between them. The referee may count down the last five seconds with a raised hand, and may waive the limit for injury or safety reasons.