FIFA proposed a change to the coin toss procedure before penalty shootouts, but the tweak was denied and will not be implemented during the current World Cup. The decision was made after discussions with the International Football Association Board (IFAB), soccer's rulemaking body.
Under the current rules, referees conduct two coin tosses before a penalty shootout. The first toss determines which end of the field the penalties will be taken from, and the second toss decides which team shoots first. FIFA's proposal would have reduced this to a single coin toss.
With the single toss, the team that won would have had the choice to select either the end of the field or the shooting order. The losing team would then be granted the remaining choice. The intention behind this modification was to prevent a single team from winning both tosses and gaining a potential advantage in both aspects of the shootout setup.
This situation occurred in May's Champions League final, where Paris Saint-Germain won both coin tosses before their penalty shootout victory. However, FIFA's attempt to implement the change faced a significant hurdle: the World Cup had already commenced. There was considerable reluctance to alter the rules mid-competition, even as the tournament advanced towards its knockout stage.
While the proposal might be considered again at a later date, it will not be in effect for the ongoing World Cup. Consequently, any knockout match that proceeds to a penalty shootout will continue under the existing two-toss system. This means the possibility remains for one team to win both decisions before a shootout, where even minor advantages can be amplified.
FIFA's attempt to modify the penalty shootout procedure has effectively been postponed.