FIFA World Cup: How many substitutes in total will be allowed to each team in Qatar 2022?

Most football games are usually permitted just three substitutes but things have changed significantly ever since the COVID-19 pandemic rocked the world. Once domestic competitions resumed in Europe in 2020, most leagues since then have permitted five substitutes per team other than England's Premier League, who switched back to three in the 2021/22 season.

However, following massive complaints from team coaches about players' fatigue and the increased number of matches, the Premier League too decided to switch back to the use of five substitutes per game in the current season.

After evaluating how various leagues have functioned over the past few years, the FIFA World Cup too has decided to permit five substitutes per game. With the tournament set to begin in a few hours in Qatar, here is a look at the crucial rule changes pertaining to the number of substitutes, the squad size and more.

Rule changes in FIFA World Cup 2022

Following the meeting of the International Football Association Board in June earlier this year, several changes were made pertaining to substitutes and the squad size of teams. Other than teams now being permitted to use five substitutes per game, the number of substitutes sitting on the bench too have increased from 12 to 15.

This means that the entire squad of 26 players can be named for a match day. While the maximum number of players that can be included in a squad is 26, all teams must also have at least 23 players, including three goalkeepers.