Premier League 2026/27 introduces one-minute injury absence

Players who receive treatment on the pitch will have to remain outside the field for at least one full minute after play restarts in the Premier League’s 2026/27 season. The minimum absence has been increased from 30 seconds as part of a wider attempt to limit time-wasting and interruptions.

The new rule applies when a player is treated on the field, regardless of whether the injury is genuine or tactical. A player leaving for a substitution will also have only 10 seconds to exit. If that limit is exceeded, the replacement cannot come on until the next stoppage and only after one minute has passed.

Goalkeeper injuries will be covered by a separate trial. When a goalkeeper receives treatment, the head coach must immediately remove an outfield player. That player must stay off for at least one minute once play resumes.

The goalkeeper provision will not apply in the same way when the injury follows a foul or a collision with an opposing player who also needs treatment. Those situations are listed as exceptions to the trial.

Referees will also have a new option when teams delay restarts. An official can display a five-second countdown for a deliberately delayed throw-in or goal-kick. If the ball is still not in play when the count ends, the other team gains possession.

A delayed throw-in will be given to the opponents from the same point on the touchline. If the delay concerns a goal-kick, the opposing team will receive a corner. The changes also give VAR a limited role in second-yellow-card dismissals: it may intervene when the second booking was clearly wrong, but it cannot award a yellow card that the referee did not show.