VAR stands for video assistant referee: a qualified referee who watches the match on multiple camera angles from a video operation room and helps the on-field referee avoid serious mistakes. It became part of the Laws of the Game in 2018 and is now used in the Premier League, MLS, every major European league, UEFA and FIFA competitions. The principle has not changed since: “minimum interference, maximum benefit”. VAR is not meant to re-referee the match, only to correct clear errors in decisions that change a game. This guide follows the IFAB Laws of the Game 2026/27 and the VAR protocol attached to them.
What VAR can and cannot review
VAR can only intervene in four match-changing situations:
| Situation | Examples |
|---|---|
| Goal / no goal | Offside, handball or a foul by the attacking team in the build-up; ball out of play before the goal |
| Penalty / no penalty | Was there a foul or handball? Was it inside or outside the area? |
| Direct red card | Serious foul play, violent conduct, DOGSO (not a normal second yellow, see the 2026/27 changes) |
| Mistaken identity | The referee booked or sent off the wrong player |
Everything else, such as a normal yellow card, a throw-in awarded to the wrong team, or a foul in midfield, stays with the on-field team even if TV replays show a mistake.
The “clear and obvious error” test
For subjective decisions, the VAR will only recommend a review if the original decision was a clear and obvious error, or if the referee missed a serious incident entirely. If ten neutral referees watching the replay would disagree among themselves, the original call stands. This is why some contact that looks like a foul in slow motion is not overturned: the question is not “what would I have given?” but “was the referee clearly wrong?”.
Factual checks versus on-field reviews
Not every VAR intervention sends the referee to the screen.
- VAR-only reviews handle factual matters: offside position, whether the ball was out of play, whether a foul was inside or outside the penalty area. The VAR tells the referee and the decision is changed without a monitor visit.
- On-field reviews (OFR) handle subjective matters: was the challenge reckless, was the handball deliberate or did the arm make the body unnaturally bigger. The referee goes to the referee review area at the side of the pitch, watches the replays and decides.
The referee always makes the final decision. The VAR advises; the referee rules.
How a typical check works
- Play continues while the VAR silently checks every goal, penalty incident and red-card situation. Most checks finish without the crowd noticing.
- If the VAR sees a possible clear error, they tell the referee, who delays the restart, often holding a finger to their earpiece.
- The referee either accepts a factual correction or goes to the monitor.
- The referee signals the final decision by drawing the outline of a TV screen.
In many competitions the referee then announces the decision over the stadium sound system, a practice that has spread in recent seasons to make reviews easier to follow.
Offside lines and semi-automated offside
Offside is the most common factual check. The VAR picks the frame when the ball is played, then calibrated lines are drawn from the relevant body parts of the attacker and the second-last defender. Arms and hands are ignored, and level is onside. In UEFA club competitions, FIFA tournaments and a growing number of leagues, semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) speeds this up with dedicated tracking cameras, limb tracking and a sensor in the ball, then produces a 3D animation for TV. The full law is covered in our offside rule guide, and you can sketch tight offside situations on our tactics board.
What changes in 2026/27
The 2026/27 Laws and protocol add three options that competitions can adopt:
- Second yellow card: VAR may now review a clearly incorrect second caution that resulted in a sending-off. Previously only direct reds were reviewable.
- Wrong team penalised: mistaken identity is extended to cases where a sanction was given against the wrong team, not just the wrong player.
- Corner kicks: VAR may correct a clearly incorrectly awarded corner, but only if it can be done without delaying the restart.
Because these are adoptable options, check whether a particular league is using them this season. The 2026 FIFA World Cup is a useful reference point for how quickly new protocols spread to domestic football.
Football Video Support (FVS): the challenge alternative
Full VAR is expensive: it needs broadcast cameras, a video room and specially trained officials. FIFA has therefore trialled Football Video Support (FVS) in competitions with fewer resources, including some youth tournaments. Instead of a VAR team checking every incident, each coach has two challenges per match to request a review of a goal, penalty, direct red card or mistaken identity, and the referee watches the replay pitch-side. FIFA futsal tournaments use a similar challenge-based system.
VAR in the Premier League, MLS and college soccer
The Premier League, MLS and NWSL all use VAR under the IFAB protocol. Leagues can still differ in practice, for example in how often referees are sent to the monitor or whether decisions are announced in the stadium. Lower divisions in England and most US college and high-school soccer do not use VAR at all, so on-field decisions there are final.
Does VAR make football fairer?
Leagues and FIFA report that VAR corrects many key errors, especially on offside. Critics point to long delays, inconsistent use of the clear-and-obvious threshold and the loss of spontaneous goal celebrations. Both views can be true at once. Knowing exactly what VAR can and cannot do, and why the threshold exists, takes much of the frustration out of watching a check unfold. If you keep score of your own matches, an online scoreboard is the low-tech equivalent: everyone sees the same numbers. For the rest of the Laws, read our football rules guide.