Football Fix previews 2026 World Cup rule changes, Golden Boot contenders and players to watch

Ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States, Football Fix host Garfield Jones and analyst Neville “Bertis” Bell reviewed tournament changes, major squad news and players likely to shape the competition.

The expanded World Cup will feature 48 teams, 1,248 players and 104 matches. Among the rule adjustments discussed were limits on players covering their mouths during confrontations, faster substitutions, visible countdowns for restarts, stricter treatment delays, captain-only approaches to referees and wider VAR checks for corner decisions, mistaken identity and clearly wrong second-yellow dismissals.

Bell said many of the measures appear designed to reduce time-wasting and increase actual playing time. He supported most of the changes, while cautioning that medical-treatment rules must be handled carefully because referees may not always be able to judge the seriousness of an injury.

The panel also considered Uruguay’s decision to leave out Luis Suárez. The 39-year-old, who retired from international football in 2024 after criticising coach Marcelo Bielsa, later signalled interest in returning and reportedly apologised. Suárez has scored 69 goals for Uruguay and had appeared at every World Cup since 2010, but he was not named for 2026.

Golden Boot discussion centred heavily on France captain Kylian Mbappé, who has 12 World Cup goals from two tournaments, won the 2022 Golden Boot and scored a hat-trick in the final against Argentina. Guests also mentioned Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Kane, Neymar and Michael Olise, though the strongest backing went to Mbappé because of France’s attacking depth.

Players highlighted as ones to watch included Spain and Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal, praised for his dribbling, pace and creativity, and Norway striker Erling Haaland, who will make his World Cup debut after Norway qualified for the first time in 28 years. Manchester City defender Abdukodir Khusanov of Uzbekistan was also noted as his country prepares for a first World Cup appearance.