FIFA World Cup 2026: What is VAR and Why is it Controversial in the World Cup?
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This edition of the football World Cup has already sparked debate about the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), but the discussions reached new heights following Argentina’s thrilling win against Egypt on July 7 in the Round of 16 match.
With 11 minutes remaining, Egypt was leading 2–0. Then Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, scored three consecutive goals to turn the game in their favor. Egypt became highly frustrated after one goal was disallowed and VAR did not review a penalty appeal in the last minutes.
“Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champions Argentina in the tournament. Maybe they wanted to help Messi win the title,” said Egypt’s manager Hossam Hassan after the game.
Egypt was particularly opposed to the disallowed goal by Mostafa Ziko in the second half when they were leading 1-0. Before that goal, midfielder Marwan Atiya was called for a foul against Lisandro Martinez’s leg.
Egypt also claims that just before Argentina’s decisive goal, a similar foul occurred against Mohammed Salah in the penalty area, but no foul was called at that time.
Both these incidents have raised questions about VAR.
What is VAR and How Does It Work?
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FIFA, the global governing body for football, officially introduced the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system in 2018. At that time, FIFA President Gianni Infantino described it as a tool to help referees “make better decisions”.
In brief, VAR uses video technology to assist the referee team on the field in making decisions. If the on-field referee misses or is unclear about a crucial incident that could result in an error, VAR steps in for review.
VAR technology provides referees the opportunity to review videos from multiple camera angles to verify if their initial calls or those of the refereeing team were correct.
According to FIFA, the system has been used in over 300 competitions worldwide.
Officials situated remotely in a video operations room analyze the match footage. For the 2026 World Cup, this center is located at the broadcast hub in Dallas, USA.
If needed, the referee on the field is instructed to watch relevant video clips on a monitor positioned pitch-side. The final decision after video review is made by the on-field referee.
Can VAR be Used For Every Situation?
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Before the 2026 World Cup, VAR could only be used for four types of incidents: goals, penalty decisions, red card incidents, and mistaken identity involving players.
This time, FIFA has added a fifth category that includes “clearly wrong corner kick decisions.” Also, VAR can be used to review red cards issued due to a second yellow card if the decision is clearly incorrect.
However, VAR does not determine whether the ball fully crossed the goal line. Separate goal-line technology is employed for that purpose, which uses a chip inside the ball to instantly notify the referee’s smartwatch.
When was VAR First Used in the World Cup?
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VAR made its debut in the FIFA World Cup during the 2018 tournament in Russia.
During the 64 matches of that tournament, VAR was used 20 times, with referees changing 17 decisions, including a crucial decision in the final match.
In the final between France and Croatia, after a 1-1 draw, the referee reversed his initial call through VAR review to award France a penalty. France scored from this penalty to take a 2-1 lead and ultimately won 4-2.
At the Qatar 2022 World Cup, VAR was involved in 27 decisions, with referees overturning their initial judgment in all but two cases after monitor reviews.
What is Currently Happening?
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Since the tournament is still ongoing, comprehensive statistics are not yet available.
However, football expert and VAR analyst Del Johnson notes that referees have viewed the pitch-side monitor only 23 times in 96 matches so far, which is a lower average per game than in the previous World Cup.
Only once did the referee not change his initial decision after a VAR review.
“Just last week, FIFA referee chief Pierluigi Collina gave referees clear instructions,” Johnson says, “to treat normal contact in football as natural and to help maintain the pace of the game.”
According to experts, as a result, the average number of fouls per match has dropped to 22.6 in the 2026 World Cup, compared to 25 in 2022 and 27 in 2018. The decision to disallow Egypt’s goal after VAR review, which was made during this tournament, appears inconsistent with the current refereeing style, Johnson notes.
“If such challenges continue on the field, VAR decisions should align accordingly.”
“In my opinion, the current situation has become more inconsistent, making it difficult to predict what VAR decisions will be,” he adds.
However, he said the incident involving Mohamed Salah was not especially controversial.
“Since Salah was in the penalty area, VAR was particularly attentive to a potential penalty where a strict standard is applied to fouls.”
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