The 2026 World Cup final allows five substitutions before any extra-time allowance applies.
That means each team can make up to five player changes during the normal 90 minutes. The rule is separate from the number of named substitutes: a team may list as many as 15 substitutes but can use only five of them during regulation play.
If the final goes to extra time, each side receives a sixth substitution. This does not replace the first five or increase the normal-time limit; it is an additional allowance available only after extra time begins. The match rules also permit a fourth substitution opportunity in extra time, because teams are generally restricted in how many stoppages they can use for changes.
The modern five-substitution system became widely established in elite football after temporary pandemic-era measures were introduced and later retained by competitions. It is also why “substitutions” and “substitution opportunities” should not be treated as synonyms: one counts players replaced, while the other counts stoppages in which changes are made. Concussion substitutions are handled separately.