The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup marks the start of a new era for the tournament, which previously existed in a considerably more limited format. But it also marks the start of a new era for soccer as a whole, with an important law change being implemented which will speed up the sport in the future.

What is the eight-second rule for goalkeepers?

The Club World Cup, as well as the European Under-21 Championship, sees the introduction of the eight-second rule for goalkeepers, intended to act as a deterrent for time wasting.

Bizarrely, the rule actually extends the length of time a goalkeeper is allowed to keep the ball in his hands. 1998 saw the implementation of a six-second rule, which was designed to give teams an indirect free-kick in the opposition penalty area when the rival goalkeeper held onto the ball for more than six seconds.

Examples of that rule being applied, however, were few and far between, which frustrated Pierluigi Collina, the head of FIFA’s referees committee.

“In many leagues, the goalkeeper can tend to keep the ball in his hands for 20 or even 25 seconds, which is a huge amount of time during a match,” vented the iconic Italian official, who retired in 2005. “There is nothing entertaining in this.”

How does the new eight-second rule work?

In the FIFA Club World Cup, and throughout soccer from July 1, goalkeepers who keep the ball in their hands for more than eight seconds will be punished with a corner being awarded to the opposing team.

Referees will count down from eight and raise an arm to indicate when there are five seconds left for the goalkeeper to release the ball.

The rule has already been trialed in South America’s Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana, with Collina revealing two goalkeepers were penalized in 160 games.

Time wasters to be targeted at Club World Cup

Additionally, expect to see long periods of injury time, similar to in the Qatar World Cup in 2022, in an additional attempt to combat time wasting. “Time lost will be compensated,” said Collina.

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