Stay updated on competition rule and format changes that could impact your services

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These resources give early visibility of competitions introducing new rules which may have a material impact on their trading.

WHICH COMPETITIONS CURRENTLY USE VAR?

⚠️ Use the filter / sort functionality to see new competitions implementing VAR

Updates from June 2025, you may have missed:

• EFL adds extra preliminary round for the 2025/26 Carabao Cup to accommodate record number of English teams participating in Europe

  • Why it’s happening:
    A record nine Premier League clubs have qualified for European competitions next season. Since those teams don’t enter the Carabao Cup until Round Three, the EFL is introducing a preliminary round to reduce the number of teams in Rounds One and Two and avoid fixture congestion

  • Who’s playing:
    Barnet and Oldham Athletic (just promoted to League Two) will join Accrington Stanley and Newport County (the lowest-ranked non-relegated League Two teams) in this early qualifier. Winners go into Round One.

Updates from March 2025, you may have missed:

• IFAB introduces new eight-second rule to reduce time-wasting by goalkeepers for 2025/26 season
  • Per the new rule, a corner kick will be awarded to the opposing team if a goalkeeper holds the ball for longer than eight seconds.
  • Previously, the same rule awarded an indirect free kick if a goalkeeper held on to the ball for more than six seconds.
  • Trading team impact: Operator’s pricing models, in-play market uptime, player models, player markets and stoppage time added.

Updates from February 2025, you may have missed:

• • Football Australia announces launch of the Australian Championship – a new national second-tier competition set to begin in October 2025.
    • This marks a significant step in bridging the gap between state leagues and the A-League Men’s competition.

    • The tournament will feature 16 teams, including eight Foundation Clubs and eight Member Federation Invitational Clubs from the National Premier Leagues (NPL).

    • The competition format consists of a group stage, with four groups of four teams, followed by an elimination finals series, culminating in the Australian Championship Final in December 2025.

Updates from January 2025, you may have missed:

• • Norwegian football clubs vote to drop VAR – could become first country in Europe to drop technology
    • The 32 clubs in Norsk Toppfotball (NTF), which represents Norway’s top two football divisions, have voted to drop VAR. A final decision will be made by Norway’s football parliament—the country’s highest football authority—at its meeting on March 1 and 2. If approved, Norway would become the first European country to scrap VAR.
  • The 2025 Six Nations Championship to use 20-minute red cards for the first time
    • What’s New: A red-carded player can be replaced after 20 minutes in the 2025 Six Nations Championship.
    • Old Rule: Teams previously played with one fewer player for the rest of the match after a red card.
    • Why the Change: Aims to balance fairness and safety, keeping matches competitive while penalising dangerous play.
    • Exceptions: Permanent red cards still apply for serious or deliberate dangerous action.

        Updates from May 2024, you may have missed:

• • Concussion substitute introduced at Copa America 2024, allowing teams to make six substitutions instead of five
    • If a concussion substitute needs to be made, it will be facilitated by showing a distinct pink card.
    • Trading team impact: Operator’s pricing models, player models, player markets and stoppage time added. 

        Updates from April 2024, you may have missed:

• • The FA Cup undergoes major restructuring with replays scrapped, the final geting a new date, and matches moved to weekends to avoid fixture congestion with UEFA competitions
    • FA Cup replays will be scrapped from the first-round onwards from next season.
    • Each round will be played on weekends, including the fifth-round, which has been played midweek for the past five seasons. This change has been made in light of the new, expanded UEFA competition format, which requires more midweek slots for games.
    • Additionally, the fourth, fifth, quarter-final and final of the FA Cup will all be played on weekends free of Premier League matches.
    • The FA Cup final will be played on the Saturday of the penultimate weekend of the Premier League and not after the competition concludes.

        Updates from October 2023, you may have missed:

• • Australian Open to be a 15-day tournament starting from 2024
    • The Australian Open organisers have confirmed an extension of the tournament schedule from 14 to 15 days, with the additional day aiming to reduce late finishes.

• Updates from August 2023, you may have missed:

  • AFC revamp men’s football competition format, introduce rule changes for 2023/24 season and launch new women’s competition for 2024/25 season
    • New Tier System: AFC has introduced a three-tier format, and they’ve rebranded the AFC Champions League as the AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE).
    • Calendar Shift: AFC has also decided to transition from their previous Spring-Autumn schedule to a European-style Autumn-Spring calendar.
    • Return to Home and Away Fixtures: Instead of playing at centralised venues, teams will now compete in traditional home and away fixtures.
    • Away Goals Rule Dropped: Notably, AFC has eliminated the away goals rule for the 23/24 season. In case of a draw, the result will be determined through extra time and, if necessary, a penalty shootout.
    • AFC to launch Women’s Champions League for 2024/25 season: The proposed commencement date is marked for August 25, 2024, with the tournament set to conclude on May 24, 2025.

Updates from July 2023, you may have missed:

• • • • The Premier League and EFL announced exact time lost due to game events will now be added at the end of the game to increase ball in-play times, this will (and is) impact stoppage time awarded at the of each half . In this article we analyse ball-in-play time for the Premier League and major other leagues, and a new feed we’ve produced to help you predict the stoppage time that may be awarded in advance. This matters because in the first week of the EFL Championship the average match time was 104 minutes and 8 seconds. 
      • Trading Team impact: in-play market uptime.
    • UEFA confirms new tennis-style knockout format for the Champions League and Europa League from 24/25 season:
      • There will be 36 teams in the new Champions League format, with two extra places for countries with best club performances in the previous campaign.
      • All teams will play eight matches instead of six against different opponents (four home, four away) and will be ranked in a single league table.
      • The top eight teams will go straight to the knockout stages of the Champions League, while teams ranked 9th to 24th will compete in two-legged play-offs for a spot in the last 16.
      • League phases will be introduced in the Europa League and Conference League too, with both competitions starting with 36 teams.
      • Final group stage matches in the Champions League and Europa League will now be played in late January.

    Updates from April 2023, you may have missed:

    • New rules introduced for F1’s Sprint Race by FIA:
      • Separate Qualifying Sessions: The sprint race now has its own qualifying session on Saturday called the “Sprint Shootout,” with Practice Two removed from the weekend schedule. Meanwhile, the qualifying session for the Grand Prix on Sunday takes place on Friday evening.
      • Modified Sprint Qualifying Format: Sprint qualifying will now consist of three sessions of 12, 10, and eight minutes, compared to 18, 15, and 12 for a full qualifying format. Teams must use new tires in each session, starting with medium compound tires and ending with soft tires.

    Updates from March 2023, you may have missed:

    • New rules to be implemented during the 2023 IPL (Indian Premier League) season:
      • Teams now need to pick five substitutes alongside their playing 11, with one of the five substitutes allowed to come on at any stage of the match as an Impact Player as elected by the captain of the team. The Impact Player can bat and bowl (unlike a substitute who is only allowed to field). The player replaced by the Impact Player cannot take any further part in the match.
      • Team captains will carry two team sheets to the toss and submit their preferred playing 11 after the toss.
      • Players can take DRS reviews for wides and no-balls.

    Updates from December 2022, you may have missed:

    • New football competition: Canadian women’s soccer league to launch in 2025
    • New club basketball competitions launch:
      • West Asian Super League – feat. teams from Arabian Gulf and West Asia running December-May
      • East Asia Super League to commence in 2023
    • Shot-clock to be introduced in Rugby matches from January 2023 to speed up game

    Updates from November 2022, you may have missed:

    • Competition format change: Swiss Football League to adopt Scottish model (33 + 5 matches) from 2023 season
      • Trading Team impact: competition models
    • New competition: Tennis Australia launch mixed-team competition, United Cup (29 December – 8 January)
      • Trading Team impact: team and player ratings, team resourcing, scheduling and marketing
    • League regulation change: K-League increase number of permitted foreign players to 5+1. 3+1 allowed on matchdays
      • Trading Team impact: team and player ratings, competition models
    • Competition format change: CHL outlines 24-team format, down from the current 36 for the 2023-24 season
      • Trading Team impact: competition models
    • Competition format change: FIFA introduce new concussion protocol for the 2022 World Cup

    Updates from October 2022, you may have missed:

    • VAR to be introduced in Singapore Premier League in 2023
      • Trading Team Impact: in-play market uptime and suspensions
    • New competition: The Women’s League (T20) to be played in early 2023
      • Featuring four city-based teams in Pakistan
      • Trading Team Impact: team and player ratings, competition models, team resourcing and scheduling

    Updates from September 2022, you may have missed:

    • New rules to be implemented during the 2023 MLB season
      • Pitch Timer: 30 second timer between batters, between pitches 1 second timer when bases are empty, 20 second timer with runners on base
      • Defensive Shift Limits: Minimum of four players on the infield with at least two completely on either side of second base
      • Bigger Bases: increase from 15″ square to 18″ square
    • VAR to be introduced in Ghana Premier League for 2023/24 season
      • Trading Team Impact: in-play market uptime and suspensions

    Updates from August 2022, you may have missed:

    • CAF to launch African Super League in August 2023
      • Teams from 16 nations will participate, making up 24 competing teams consisting of 3 regionalised groups of 8 teams. Tournament will run August-May.
      • Trading Team Impact: team and player ratings, competition models, team resourcing and scheduling
    • Carabao Cup to introduce concussion substitutions for 2022/23 competition
      • Trading Team Impact: team and player ratings, match models

    Updates from July 2022, you may have missed:

    • LIV Golf announces 14-event league for 2023
      • Trading Team Impact: Player Ratings, team resourcing and scheduling
    • Asia Cup moved from Sri Lanka to UAE
      • Trading Team Impact: team and player ratings
    • New Competition: United International Baseball League to begin in 2023
      • Trading Team Impact: team and player ratings, team resourcing and scheduling
    • Big Bash League to return to full home-and-away schedule
      • Trading Team Impact: team and player ratings, team resourcing and scheduling
    • Indoor Hockey World Cup to return in South Africa, February 5-11 2023
      • Trading Team Impact: Team resourcing and scheduling
    • Australian National Basketball League (NBL) season returns to spring/summer schedule
      • Trading Team Impact: Team resourcing and scheduling
    • New Rugby Club World Cup tournament format agreed, to start in 2025. Featuring eight norther hemisphere sides, seven from the sourthern hemisphere plus a Japanese side. Held every two years.
      • Trading Team Impact: team and player ratings, team resourcing and scheduling
    • Semi-automated offside technology to be used at FIFA World Cup 2022™
      • Trading Team Impact: market suspensions and uptime
    • 2024 edition of Africa Cup of Nations to take place in January-Febuary (originally June / July) due to adverse weather conditions (heavy rain)
      • Trading Team Impact: team resourcing and scheduling, player and team ratings

    Updates from June 2022, you may have missed:

    • Hong Kong FA to introduce VAR at start of new season in July
      • Trading Team Impact: In-play market uptime and suspensions
    • Kick-ins could replace throw-ins after football lawmakers (IFAB) authorise trial
    • 2022-23 season to have revamped format across BBL Championship, Cup and Trophy Competitions
      • Trading Team Impact: tournament models, team resourcing and scheduling
    • 2023 Ashes series set for earliest finish (beginning of August) in its 140-year history
      • Trading Team Impact: Team resourcing and scheduling
    • Two competitions in Bulgaria and Ecuador use VAR for the first time, view our global VAR tracker here
    • Five South African sides to play in the European Champions Cup
      • Trading Team Impact: Team Supremacy models

    Updates from May 2022, you may have missed:

    • Format change for UEFA Club Competitions from 24/25 season, increase in teams to 36, eight matches instead of 10 in new league phase format
      • Trading Team Impact: tournament models

    Updates from April 2022, you may have missed:

    • VAR to be introduced in the Scottish Premiership in December (mid-season), League Cup semi-finals and final in January and Feb 2023
      • Trading Team Impact: In-play market uptime and suspensions

    Updates from February 2022, you may have missed:

    • Formula 1: Revised points to be awarded for the three sprint races held in 2022
      • Trading Team Impact: Season outright models
    • Five substitutions option to be made permanent by IFAB in March ’22
      • Trading Team Impact: In-play player-specific models

    Updates from January 2022, you may have missed:

    • Women’s Ashes: Review system to be used for first time in 2022 series
    • 2022 PDC Premier League competition format change
      • Tournament will now include 16 league nights in the form of individual events comprising of quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final over the best of 11 legs. Ranking points will also be awarded from each night – with five to the winner, three to the runner-up and two to the semi-finalists – to form the league table from which the top four players will progress to the Play-Offs. Across the 16 weeks, players will face each other twice in a quarter-final tie to form the draw for 14 nights, with the additional two nights (Night Eight and Night 16) seeing the stars face off again in a draw bracket based on the league table following Night Seven and Night 15 respectively.
      • Trading Team Impact: Trading resourcing and pricing
    • AFCON rules mean outfield players may have to play in goal in event of COVID-19 outbreak
      • Trading Team Impact: Team strength models
    • Women’s Ashes: Start of series brought forward a week (20th Jan)
      • Trading Team Impact: Trading resourcing
    • Six Nations preparing for behind-closed-doors matches in bid to avoid postponements
      • Trading Team Impact: Home team advantage reduction

    Updates from December 2021, you may have missed:

    • Replays in the third and forth rounds of the Emirates FA Cup removed
      • Matches will be played finish on the day, with extra-time and penalty shootouts if required.
    • Football could try rugby-style temporary concussion substitutes
    • Revamped Kookaburra ball to spice up the Ashes
      • Likely to keep moving through the air and off the seam in a much more sustained manner
    • New competition: US Rugby Sevens Major League (Rugby Football League) – October 2022

    Updates from November 2021, you may have missed:

    • Clubs in Ligue 2 vote to reduce number of teams to 18
      • Brings the division in-line with Ligue 1
    • FIFA keen to introduce “Semi-automated” offside at 2022 World Cup
      • If a player is deemed offside a signal will automatically be sent to officials, enabling calls within seconds
      • Premier League to receive the technology from the start of the 2023-24 season

    Updates from October 2021, you may have missed:

    • IFAB advisory panels recommend making five-substitute option permanent
    • Wimbledon announce 14-day tournament schedule for 2022, with middle-Sunday introduced for the first time

    Updates from September 2021, you may have missed:

    • Rugby Union: New World 12s tournament proposed to launch in August 2022

    Updates from August 2021, you may have missed:

    • CONCACAF to introduce two new major international women’s competitions
      • Expanded World Cup Qualifying in 2022
      • W Gold Cup in 2024 with 12 nations, including four guests
    • Premier League: Referees to stick with lenient approach to fouls/tackles: Implications for trading models

    Updates from July 2021, you may have missed:

    • IPL likely to adopt 74-match format from 2022 on expansion to 10 teams

    Updates from June 2021, you may have missed:

    • Away goals rule scrapped in Uefa competitions including Champions League
    • Major League Soccer (MLS) to launch development league in 2022
      • To include ~20 teams in its first year, including several MLS-operated teams playing in the USL Championship and League One. 
      • 20-26 game structure will begin in late March, leading into playoffs and a championship game slated for early December. 
      • Independent teams will also be eigible to participate in the U.S. Open Cup
    • Cheltenham Festival prepares to add fifth day from 2023
      • Change would see six races per day instead of the current seven, with two new races added taking the total to 30.
    • New competition: United Rugby Championship to commence in September 2021
      • The top clubs from South Africa (Cell C Sharks, DHL Stormers, Emirates Lions and Vodacom Bulls) combine with the Guinness PRO14 to create a world-class 16-team league.
      • The URC will use one league table to rank the teams who will reach the knock-out stages and compete to reach the title and become the champions.
      • Fixtures: The regular season of the United Rugby Championship will take place across 18 rounds with each team’s fixtures comprising of six (6) Home AND away fixtures against their regional pool opponents and12 Home OR away fixtures against the remaining teams in the league
    • Ligue 1 to shrink to 18 clubs from 2023/24
      • Four teams to be relegated from Ligue 1 in 2022/23, with two promoted from Ligue 2
    • Cricket World Cup to revert to a 14-team format with a Super Six stage
      • Total number of games will increase to 54 from 48

    Updates from May 2021, you may have missed:

    • UEFA set to scrap away goals rule 
      • Change will affect the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League competitions.
    • IFAB agrees to extend five-sub rule until December 2022 due to COVID-19 impact
    • Japan announces inaugural women’s football pro league for 2021

    Updates from April 2021, you may have missed:

    • T20 World Cup could be moved to United Arab Emirates, says BCCI
    • Wimbledon to end middle Sunday break from 2022
    • Formula 1 to introduce sprint qualifying at three Grand Prix in the 2021 season
    • New Zealand National Basketball League to adopt: Team Fouls in Overtime rule as used in the Australian NBL. Which means as follows:
      • In the event of a game going into Overtime, the team fouls for both teams will return to 0-0.
      • During the Overtime period when a team reaches its third team foul it will result in the opposition team being awarded two free throws.
      • The same rule will apply to any subsequent Overtime periods.
    • AFC set to launch Women’s Champions League in 2023
    • US Soccer, MLS, NWSL to Trial Concussion Substitutions
      • Check out our concussion substitutes tracker

    Updates from March 2021, you may have missed:

    • UEFA to lift 30% COVID limit on crowds
    • UEFA extends use of five substitutes at Euro 2020 and 2021 Nations League finals
    • Explainer of the proposed Champions League format changes (from 2024)
    • 2021/22 Premier League season start dates announced [14th August 2021]
    • World Rugby unveils new global competition, WXV, to launch in 2023 with 16 teams across 3-tiers
    • CONCACAF plans to launch Women’s Champions League in 2023/24
    • BCCI announces IPL 2021 schedule (9th April – 30th May)
    • EHF announces new Men’s U19 EHF Euro Championships to take place in 2021 (12th-22nd August)
    • Pakistan Super League postponed due to COVID-19 cases rise (tournament scheduled to run until 22nd March)

    Updates from February 2021, you may have missed:

    • Concussion substitutes to be trialled in SPFL from March 6
    • 2019-21 UEFA Under 21 Championships to introduce concussion substitues trial 
    • MLB: New ball being introduced, implications for betting?
    • League of Ireland to introduce concussion subsititons into six competitions for the 2021-22 season [tracker above updated]
    • Premiership Rugby scraps relegation for 2020-21 season 
    • Azerbaijan, FIFA to discuss introduction of VAR in national league
    • CONCACAF Champions League game volumes to expand to 140+ for 2023-24 season (up from 30 currently)

    Updates from January 2021, you may have missed:

    • Concussion substitutes to be introduced in the Premier League and WSL from February 6th. FA Cup to introduce from the 5th round.
    • Premier League to allow permanent concussion substitutes
    • New competition: Japan Rugby Union League to debut in 2022
    • EFL League Cup: Five substitutions allowed in the semifinals and finals
    • WTA announces first twenty weeks of the 2021 tour
    • NBL revises 2021 season opener schedule

    Updates from December 2020, you may have missed:

    • BNP Paribas Open to not be held March 8-21 2021 as originally scheduled. New tournament dates tbc.
    • CONCACAF to introduce VAR at 2021 Champions League and Gold Cup
    • ATP announces tour calendar up until April 4th 2021
    • WTA announces first seven weeks of 2021 tour
    • English League Cup final pushed back 2 months to April 25th. Final is due to take place at Wembley.
    • Inaugural NBL Cup to take place in Melbourne starting Febuary 20, 2021
    • NHL 2020-21 regular season schedule announced, starting January 13 2021 (56 games)
    • Billie Jean King Cup 2021 Finals and Playoffs moved to April 2021 (13-18 and 16-17 April respectively)
    • Amended tour dates: England to tour Sri Lanka and South Africa to tour Pakistan in January 2021
    • New competition: Indian Premier Handball League to launch December 24th
    • Tournament date change: Asean Football Federation moves Suzuki Cup National Team tournament to December 5, 2021 to January 1, 2022, cancelling the 2020 edition
    • Diamond League 2021 to return to 32 disciplines (had been 24 in the previous edition)
    • England and South Africa ODI Series abandoned due to COVID-19
    • Cyprus First Division to implement VAR from matchweek 14 / 11th December
    • England’s ODI Series versus the Netherlands rescheduled to 2022
    • Women’s Rugby World Cup to expand to 16 teams from 2025

    Updates from November 2020:

    • EFL to increase the permitted number of substitutes to five in all EFL fixtures for the remainder of the 2021/21 season
    • Big Bash League implement three rule changes for upcoming competition