You can tackle someone in the World Cup only when it is a legal soccer tackle: you must be trying to win the ball, not hit the player. If you make a careless, reckless, or overly forceful challenge, it becomes a foul and can lead to a yellow or red card.

What counts as legal

  • You go for the ball first, not the opponentā€™s legs or body.
  • The challenge is controlled and fair.
  • Any contact is minimal and incidental, not the main part of the tackle.

What gets punished

  • Careless tackle: free kick, usually no card.
  • Reckless tackle: yellow card.
  • Excessive force or dangerous play: red card.

Simple rule of thumb

If the ref thinks you were genuinely playing the ball, it may be allowed. If you take out the player, go in late, or use dangerous force, it will usually be called a foul.

World Cup context

The World Cup follows the same Laws of the Game as other international soccer matches, so there is no special ā€œWorld Cup tackleā€ rule; the referee applies normal foul and misconduct standards.

In short: you can tackle when it is a clean, ball-winning challenge, and not when it puts the opponent at risk.