Teams will be permitted to make five substitutes again next season, football lawmakers have today announced following a meeting of the International Football Association Board.

IFAB released a statement online this afternoon stating that the temporary extension of the substitution law had been extended into the next campaign due to the effect of the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on player welfare.

The board suggested that the swift turnaround between this season and next will impact recovery times and that the alteration of the law means players will have more opportunities to rest.

The statement reads: "The main reason for the temporary amendment to Law 3 – The Players was the impact on player welfare of competitions being played in a condensed period and in different weather conditions. The recent review has shown that the reasons for the temporary amendment remain valid and the impact on player welfare is likely to continue into 2021 due to various factors, including:

"Some competitions which resumed in 2020 may have a shorter-than-usual recovery/preparation period before the start of their next season.

"For many competitions, the 2020/21 season will involve matches being played in a condensed period due to a delayed start and the inability to end later than usual because of major international tournaments.

"There are no changes to the details of the temporary amendment to the Laws of the Game, which will allow for a maximum of five substitutes to be used per team. However, to avoid disruption to the game, each team will only have three opportunities to make substitutions, although substitutions made at half-time are not counted as one of the three opportunities."

IFAB also pointed out that the decision on whether to apply this temporary amendment remains at the discretion of each competition organiser, so all leagues are free to not implement the change, should they not wish to do so.