A yellow card communicates a caution; a red card communicates a sending off. In standard football discipline, a player who receives two cautions in the same match is sent off, while some serious offences merit a direct red without any earlier yellow. A player dismissed after kick-off cannot be replaced by a substitute.
The IFAB's current Law 12, checked on 1 November 2026, sets out the offences. Its 2026/27 rules also need to be read alongside the updated VAR protocol: video assistance can address a clearly incorrect second yellow that results in a red, but does not turn every possible booking into a reviewable incident.
| Decision | What it means |
|---|---|
| First yellow | A caution; the player may continue |
| Second yellow in the same match | A second caution followed by a red card |
| Direct red | Sending off for an offence requiring dismissal |
| Player sent off after kick-off | No replacement for that player |
| Later match suspension | Consult the competition's disciplinary regulations |
What offences lead to a yellow card?
Law 12 lists delaying the restart, dissent by word or action, persistent offences and unsporting behaviour among the reasons to caution a player. Failing to respect the required distance at a restart can also bring a yellow. A booking therefore does not require a dangerous tackle or even physical contact.
For challenges, the law distinguishes careless, reckless and excessive force. A careless challenge needs no disciplinary sanction simply on that basis. A reckless challenge requires a caution. A challenge using excessive force, or endangering an opponent's safety, requires a sending off. Whether a free kick is awarded and whether a card is shown are related decisions with separate tests.
There is no fixed number of fouls that automatically defines persistent offending. The referee assesses persistence rather than applying a universal rule that every player's third foul, for example, must produce a yellow. That is why a simple foul count cannot by itself explain every booking.
Do two yellow cards always have to be far apart?
Two separate cautionable offences may occur close together. IFAB's own explanation gives the principle that separate offences should produce separate cautions even in close proximity. A player does not receive a protected period after the first booking in which further misconduct must be ignored.
One official Law 12 example concerns a reckless challenge followed by dissent. The referee cautions the player for the challenge, then gives a second caution for dissent and sends the player off. The fact that both acts arose during one stoppage does not merge them into a single offence.
A red can also be shown to a substitute, a substituted player or a team official. Viewers should identify who was dismissed before assuming a team must remove another player from the pitch. A coach's red and an on-field player's red do not have the same effect on playing numbers.
What earns a direct red card?
Serious foul play, violent conduct, biting or spitting at someone, and offensive, insulting or abusive language or actions are among the sending-off offences. A previous yellow is unnecessary. A player cannot avoid dismissal for a direct-red offence because their disciplinary record in that match was previously clear.
Denying a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity can also lead to a red, but the details matter. Law 12 contains different provisions for handball, attempts to play or challenge for the ball, and offences for which a penalty is awarded. Treating every penalty-area foul as an automatic red would skip those distinctions. Our football handball guide examines the separate handball tests.
Can VAR review a second yellow card in 2026?
The IFAB's 28 February 2026 AGM announcement approved VAR assistance where clear evidence shows an incorrect second yellow produced a red. That is a material change for viewers used to the earlier limits on second-yellow intervention.
The current official VAR protocol also states the limit explicitly in its questions and answers. If the referee misses an offence that could have been a second yellow, VAR cannot intervene just to supply that missed caution. Correcting a clearly incorrect second booking and finding an unseen second-booking offence are different situations.
Can a sent-off player be replaced, and how long is the ban?
Under Law 3, a player sent off after kick-off cannot be replaced. The dismissed person must also leave the vicinity of the field and technical area under Law 12. A named substitute who is sent off cannot be replaced either, but that does not mean a different player already on the pitch must leave.
The duration of any later suspension should be checked in the relevant competition's disciplinary regulations. The colour of the card alone is insufficient to promise the same ban in every league or tournament. For more rules reading, see our offside guide and hockey penalty corner explainer.
