FIFA’s referees chief Pierluigi Collina has tightened the clock at the 2026 World Cup. By slashing the customary 30‑second buffer for substitutions and imposing a 10‑second limit on goal‑kicks, he reduced the average added time to just over six minutes. Matches now average 96 minutes, a sharp drop from Qatar’s 102‑minute games.

Collina’s reforms also removed the automatic six‑minute hydration break, treating it as off‑match time. The result is a ball‑in‑play fraction that climbed to 59.38 % of match time, up from Qatar’s 56.86 % and Russia’s 56.25 %. Fewer pauses have kept teams on a faster rhythm throughout the tournament for every squad competing on the global stage today.

The strategy also curbed tactical time‑outs and enforced a single‑minute penalty for players who linger on the bench after injury. Only one goal‑kick was converted to a corner after a delay, showing that the new 10‑second countdowns are respected. Teams now exchange players in stoppage time without extra minutes added for the remaining matches today.

Overall, Collina’s time‑management package has delivered a tighter, faster World Cup, with ball‑in‑play time surpassing past editions. The average match length of 96:08 minutes and a 59.38 % play ratio suggest the reforms are effective. The question now is whether the same efficiency can sustain a 380‑match Premier League season for clubs across the league today.