FIFA Trial 3 Revolutionary New Football Rules at Under-15s World Cup

During this year’s newly introduced Under-15s World Cup, FIFA has trialled three completely new rule changes to see how well they could work in senior football, meaning the likes of the Premier League and Champions League could soon be affected.

Ever since legendary Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger took up his role as FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development, there has been a huge emphasis on improving the flow of football matches, cracking down on time-wasting and making the beautiful game more exciting.

While two of the new laws that could soon take over European football revolve around that very issue, there have also been fresh calls for the offside rule to be re-evaluated.

FIFA Test Three New Major Rule Changes at Under-15s World Cup

REUTERS/Carl Recine

The competition has now reached its finals stage, and viewers will have noticed some major changes to the way matches are officiated. One of those changes means that when the ball rolls out of play in Baku, Azerbaijan, nobody reaches for it to take a throw-in. Instead, the player simply places the ball on the ground and kicks it back into play, with kick-ins replacing throw-ins.

Matches are played eight-a-side across two 20-minute halves, on a smaller 68-by-47-metre pitch with full-size goals. Managers are also allowed unlimited substitutions, while a complete overhaul of the offside rule means it only applies beyond specially marked lines 14 metres from the goal line.

Whether these changes will make their way into senior football is another matter, but youth football has often proved the perfect testing ground for new ideas.

The 2027 edition will feature girls’ teams, while from 2028, every Member Association will be invited to enter both boys’ and girls’ Under-15 sides in two separate competitions.

‘Wenger Law’ is Another Interesting Offside Rule Interpretation

REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli

Another potential change to the offside rule owes much to Wenger, who has long championed a completely different interpretation of what it means to be offside.

The so-called “Wenger rule” (or “daylight offside rule”) is a proposed change to football’s offside law championed by the Frenchman. Under the proposal, an attacker would be considered onside if any part of their body that can legally score a goal is level with or behind the second-to-last defender.

Offside would only be called if there were clear, visible space – or “daylight” – completely separating the attacker from the defender. See it in effect below:

Wenger proposed the change to encourage attacking football, increase goalscoring and put an end to controversial “armpit” and “toenail” offside decisions. The rule has already been trialled in the Canadian Premier League during the 2026 season, with mixed results.

Following the CPL trial, data presented to the International Football Association Board (IFAB) showed a reduction in offside calls and an increase in goals. However, the change also prompted defensive lines to drop deeper and received limited backing from IFAB assessment panels, making a wider rollout unlikely for now, according to a BBC Sport report.