As you watch or read about the World Cup, there's a good chance that you'll see someone talking about VAR. But what is it? VAR is the use of the video assistant referee to review decisions made in a game for clear and obvious errors or missed incidents.

Folarin Balogun and Christian Pulisic react as referee Raphael Claus indicates a VAR decision Charlotte Wilson/ Presented as a still image by the video referee, the case for the prosecution is obvious.

Here's how VAR works in soccer, what plays can be reviewed and what's new at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

A simple guide to how VAR works in soccer, what decisions can be reviewed and how video replay will be used during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Ex-Fiorentina and Milan star Riccardo Montolivo complains that VAR has ‘more power’ than on-the-field referees: ‘It should be the other way around, like this, it’s a mess.’ Italian referees are under increasing pressure as protests from teams and ...

In an analysis of a video-assisted, pitch-side review of soccer (UK football) referee calls in the English Premier League, referees overturned their original call 95% of the time. However, these decisions had no statistical link to crowd size, the score or ...

Referee Adham Makhadmeh Sarah Stier - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images England benefited from a contentious refereeing decision during their goalless group-stage draw with Ghana. When Thomas Tuchel’s side face DR Congo on Wednesday, they will hope the ...

World Cup referees don’t just enforce the rules: they sell authority with body language. Expert Mark Bowden reveals how officials use space, gestures, cards, captains, and VAR walks to control chaos on football’s biggest stage. If you think refereeing ...