VAR Explained and the 2026/27 Review Scope

A VAR is a match official using video to assist the referee within a defined scope. The system does not re-referee every contact. The IFAB protocol leaves the final decision with the referee and connects intervention to a clear and obvious error or serious missed incident in eligible situations.

A check is not a review

The video team may check an incident without a long stoppage or a visit to the monitor. A review is the further step of reconsidering the decision. Check in progress does not mean a goal will be disallowed; visiting the screen does not guarantee that the original decision will change.

Identify the question being examined. Did the ball cross a line? Was there an offence before the goal? That helps explain why officials select an earlier replay or a different angle.

The 2026/27 scope matters

The scope covers goals, penalties, red cards and mistaken identity. The 2026/27 IFAB changes include a clearly incorrect second caution and an optional competition provision for immediately correcting a wrongly awarded corner without delaying the restart. This does not make every first caution or every corner routinely reviewable.

Interpret the replay carefully

One angle may show contact while hiding its intensity or location. Slow motion also changes how the timing feels. Wait for the decision and any available explanation, separating measurable facts from a referee's judgement.

When revisiting an older match, use the protocol that applied at the time. Comparing that decision with a later review scope without acknowledging the date can produce the wrong conclusion about whether intervention was permitted.