FIFA Push Ahead with Controversial VAR Shake-Up for 2026 World Cup Despite Major Backlash

FIFA are pressing on with a major overhaul of VAR for the 2026 World Cup, even after the idea was shot down by domestic leagues and stakeholders earlier this year. The governing body wants video officials to review corner-kick decisions at the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico — a change that would mark one of the biggest expansions of VAR since it was introduced.

The proposal first surfaced at October’s IFAB meeting, where the law-makers did agree to widen VAR’s remit to include wrongly issued yellow cards. But the call to involve VAR in checking corners was rejected on the spot, with officials wary of dragging out matches even further. Still, FIFA are refusing to let it drop, insisting the system needs to evolve ahead of football’s biggest showpiece.

BBC Sport report that IFAB now has to run extensive global trials before the idea can be activated next summer. It means leagues and federations worldwide could soon be guinea pigs for what critics fear may become yet another stoppage-heavy change. Not exactly something managers — or fans — are begging for right now.

Pierluigi Collina, FIFA’s legendary referees chief, has thrown his considerable weight behind the plan. Collina reckons the game needs tighter checks on restarts and has pointed to past controversies, including a wrongly given free-kick in the Euro 2016 final that nearly cost France dear. IFAB’s next meeting is pencilled in for January, where the debate is expected to get pretty lively.

But plenty of league bosses want nothing to do with it. Mark Bullingham, the FA’s chief executive and one of IFAB’s key voices, has already said there’s “no need” to extend VAR, warning that the game already suffers from too many interruptions. Many domestic competitions feel further expansion could slow football to a crawl, with stoppage times already ballooning to NBA levels.

The sticking point comes down to the Laws of the Game: once a corner is taken, the referee can’t rewind play even if he realises later it was wrongly awarded. So if FIFA get their way, every single corner at the World Cup would need checking before it’s taken — even if most of them are blatantly obvious calls. Expect long pauses, frustrated crowds and a few exasperated players tapping their boots waiting for the signal.

For now, FIFA must run trials to prove the system won’t send matches into meltdown. Fans will wait to see when — or if — the green light comes. But with Collina pushing and FIFA determined to “modernise” officiating, the World Cup could be heading for its most VAR-heavy edition yet.