Egypt’s Hossam Abdelmaguid is attended to by teammate Mostafa Shoubir after sustaining a left eye injury during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group G match against New Zealand. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

The concussion substitute option was used in FIFA World Cup 2026 during the Group G match between Egypt and New Zealand, played at BC Place Vancouver, on Sunday.

Egypt came back from a goal down to win 3-1 and mark its first-ever win in the quadrennial tournament.

However, the Pharaohs had a moment of worry after substitute Hossam Abdelmaguid was forced to leave the game after suffering a head injury in stoppage time.

The defender was hit in the face by an opposition player’s trailing hand, leaving him with a bruise on his face. Although he got back to his feet, he was replaced by Mohamed Abdelmonem, who came on as a concussion substitute, as Egypt had used its full quota of five substitutions.

History of substitutions at FIFA World Cup

Substitutions were first introduced in the 1970 edition in Mexico, where teams were permitted to use two substitutes per game. In 1994, teams were permitted to substitute an injured or red-carded goalkeeper on top of the two substitutions.

From 1998 onwards, teams were allowed to make three substitutions, with no additional option for a goalkeeper who had been injured or sent off. The rule remained till 2018, when teams were enabled to make a fourth substitution if a game went to extra time.

In Qatar four years ago, nations were allowed to make five substitutions during normal time, and another if the matches went into extra time. The 2022 edition also saw the introduction of the concussion substitute, which could be used at any point in the game if a player was suspected of suffering from a concussion.

Published on Jun 22, 2026