7 Soccer Rule Changes That Changed the Game

By Richard Janvrin Contributor Updated: 15 November 2024

Richard Janvrin Contributor

Richard has been writing about sports since he was a teenager. Still, his first professional role came in 2015, covering all things NFL and fantasy football-related. From there, in December 2018, he started in the sports betting industry, covering sportsbook reviews before arriving to where he is today. 

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Rule Changes in Soccer That Changed the Game

While many sports have rule changes throughout their history, soccer rule changes are noteworthy because many earlier iterations of the systems and rules used today were established in the 1800s.

The game of soccer (or football) has existed for hundreds of years, and the more “current” iteration can be traced back to 1863 when the American Football and Rugby Football leagues split apart.

Since then, several rule changes have been made regarding what players can do, and other systems and technologies have been integrated. These changes give a firsthand account of how soccer has changed over time.

Let’s check out some of the most notable changes to the rules below.

Offside Rule and Adjustment
Penalty Kicks
Goalkeeper Limitations
Red and Yellow Cards
Video Assistant Referee
Player Substitutions

Offside Rule and Adjustment

The first offsides rule was added in 1863, making it one of the oldest soccer rule changes.

Before this change, offsides were considered any time you were ahead of the ball, much like rugby.

Since then, there have been multiple iterations and updates:

1863: A player was considered offsides unless three players from the other team were ahead of him.
1925: Players were then offsides unless two players from the opposing team were in front of them, including the goalkeeper.
1990: This is the latest iteration. Now, a player is considered to be onside if he is at least leveled with the second-to-last player of the opposing team, including the goalkeeper. While this is an example of soccer rule changes over the years, some may argue it’s still not ideal, saying it’s impossible to call offsides with human referees.

Penalty Kicks

The penalty kick rule dates back to 1890. Goalkeeper and businessman William McCrum is credited with it, and the Irish Football Association introduced the rule to the International Football Association’s Board.

The voting was deferred to 1891, but during 1890-1891, there were instances where penalty kicks would’ve been helpful, adding to the argument that they should be in the game.

It was eventually passed, and the original rule reads, “If any player shall intentionally trip or hold an opposing player, or deliberately handle the ball, within twelve yards from his own goal-line, the referee shall, on appeal, award the opposing side a penalty kick…”

Several changes have been made to the rule, which currently states that the goalkeeper must have at least part of a foot on the goal line.

There were times throughout the penalty kick history when the goalkeeper couldn’t move their feet, and there was even a time when the ball could be kicked twice.

In the history of soccer rules, few have more iterations than the penalty kick.

Can you imagine doing any live soccer betting without penalty kicks being part of the game? I certainly couldn’t. This was a change that changed the sport forever.

Goalkeeper Limitations

The initial rule for how goalkeepers could handle the ball came in 1912. With this rule, goalkeepers could only handle the ball within their penalty area, not their half of the field.

Additionally, in 1992, a backpass rule was introduced, and goalkeepers could no longer pick up the ball when they received a pass from a teammate.

The goal of these rule changes was to make the game go a bit faster. This came after the 1990 World Cup, which was heavily criticized because the games were slowed down and goalkeepers holding the ball wasted time.

Red and Yellow Cards

The red and yellow cards came into play in 1970 by referee Ken Aston. Aston was a referee during the 1966 World Cup, and due to issues with players during the game and teams seeking an explanation after a referee sent a player off, Aston came up with the red and yellow card system as a way to display their decision and the repercussions more clearly.

Aston’s idea for the yellow and red came from stoplights, and they thought it would be a good way to communicate with players and teams regardless of their native language.

A yellow flag means the player has been cautioned. Red cards are a more serious offense, and the player is almost certainly removed from the game. When a player in soccer is sent off, they cannot be replaced, so the team will play with one less player, giving a significant disadvantage.

This was a massive rule change as it made it clear what the referee’s rulings were and provided repercussions for player’s actions during games.

This can have a massive impact on the game, and players now know that.

Video Assistant Referee

Video Assistant Referee, also known as VAR, was first implemented during the 2018 World Cup and is one of the new soccer rules compared to others on this list.

With this, three systems are tasked with three parts of the game. It was officially written into the rules on March 3, 2018, with the philosophy of “minimal interference, maximum benefit.”

The system is particularly in four instances:

Ruling on goals, whether the ball was out of play, whether the ball entered the goal, whether players were offsides, and more.
Penalty/no penalty calls.
Red cards
“Mistaken identity” is giving out a red or yellow card. The goal here is to ensure the correct player is hit with them.

The VAR will perform a “silent check” and communicate to the referee whether a mistake was made or not.

This is a fast system that, as the philosophy states, has minimal impact. It helps bring a level of accuracy in making calls to the game that is much needed.

However, it is controversial to some due to the time it can take and what some may consider inconsistencies in how it’s used.

Player Substitutions

The idea of substituting players in soccer has changed mightily over the years, and a change in 1958 helped give teams a bit more flexibility.

However, before 1958, there was no such concept as substitutions. What would happen if a player was tired or hurt? They could not come off the field and be substituted out.

In 1958, players were allowed to substitute for injured players. Shortly after that, the policy was slightly expanded to allow changes for other strategic and tactical reasons.

Today, the rule allows five substitutions per game. This was introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

When substitutions became allowed, this presented a whole new element to coaching and strategy. You could now have some fresh legs out there, ready to play while a player took a rest. This has also provided more playing opportunities to other players who serve as substitutions.

So, if someone asks you, “How has soccer changed over time?” you can point to the rules around substitutions as a significant change.