FIFA hoping to change penalty shootout coin toss rules before World Cup knockout stage

FIFA is hoping to change the rules on penalty shootouts in time for the World Cup knockout stages.

The new rules, which are awaiting approval from the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the game’s lawmakers, would mean there is just one coin toss before a shootout instead of two.

Under IFAB’s current rules, the referee is required to conduct two coin tosses, one to decide who kicks first and a second to decided what end they want the penalties to take place.

However, if FIFA’s proposal is approved by IFAB, the winning team would choose whether to go first or second or which end they want to shoot from.

This would mean that a repeat of the Champions League final, which saw Paris Saint-Germain pick both the order and the end after winning both tosses, would not be possible.

It remains unclear whether the proposals, should they be approved, would have to be implemented in other football competitions or if they would be left to the tournament organiser’s discretion.

If the rules are to be adopted in time before the knockout stage gets underway on June 28, then IFAB would need to approve the proposal before then.