FIFA has confirmed that all 22 players from both squads will stand together in the centre circle for the national anthems at the 2026 World Cup, ending the long-standing practice in which substitutes remained on the touchline while only the starting eleven took the field for the ceremony.T2 - The Athletic
The change, reported by The Athletic on Thursday, is part of a broader overhaul of the pre-match anthem ceremony that will also see extra-large country flag banners displayed on the pitch and a dedicated player arch through which both teams will enter the field of play. The combined effect is a ceremony that FIFA intends to be more visually unified and more inclusive of the full matchday squad.
Under the previous format, substitutes walked to the bench after the teams lined up and were not required to participate in the anthem. The new protocol means that, from the moment the squads emerge from the tunnel, all 22 players from each side will proceed through the arch together, take their positions in the centre circle, and remain there for both anthems before the match begins.
The practical implications for matchday operations are modest but real. Ground staff will need to accommodate a larger group of players in the centre circle during the ceremony, and the timing of the tunnel-to-kick-off sequence may shift slightly to account for the expanded procession. The extra-large flag banners will require additional handling by stadium crews before and after the anthems.
The decision arrives at a moment when the relationship between national teams and the rituals that surround them is under closer scrutiny than at any point in recent tournament history. The anthem ceremony has, for decades, been one of the few moments in elite football when the sport’s commercial machinery pauses and the players stand, in theory, as representatives of something larger than a squad list. Whether the new format deepens that sense of occasion or simply adds another layer of stagecraft is a question the 2026 tournament will answer on its own terms.
The 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, is scheduled to begin on 11 June.