FIFA is moving forward with a significant alteration to Video Assistant Referee (VAR) protocols ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, despite resistance from several football stakeholders and member associations.
The global governing body remains committed to rolling out the updated rule, which will introduce VAR intervention for corner-kick situations during the tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico next year.
This initiative follows an October meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB), during which members agreed to broaden the scope of VAR. Part of the approved expansion was the review of mistakenly issued yellow cards that could potentially escalate to red cards. However, IFAB did not endorse the proposal for VAR reviews on corner kicks.
Nevertheless, according to reports that FIFA intends to push assertively for the corner-kick review mechanism to feature at the World Cup, even though several domestic leagues have refused to adopt the change across their competitions.
The decision underscores FIFA’s strategy to modernize officiating standards and increase accuracy during one of the sport’s most watched events.
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