World Cup 2026: FIFA already acknowledges a VAR glitch

World Cup 2026 Today at 10:10

Joshua SOSSOU

News Editor

Already a VAR blunder in this 2026 World Cup. FIFA has issued a statement.

In this 2026 World Cup, a heated controversy has already erupted during the Qatar versus Switzerland clash. The drama unfolded after a penalty was awarded to the Nati.

It all began with a cross from Denis Zakaria for Breel Embolo, then Remo Freuler, which led to a foul called by Honduran referee Hector Said Martinez. However, replays quickly cast doubt on the decision. Many observers believe that either Embolo or Freuler may have been offside before the penalty incident. The controversy escalated because FIFA did not broadcast the video assistant referee (VAR) graphics showing the offside lines.

FIFA eventually released the VAR graphics, confirming that no offside was detected in either of the key actions: "During the review of the on-field decision, video assistance relied on the relevant lines to assess the players' positions. These lines did not indicate, in either of the two actions immediately preceding the penalty, that the attacking player was in an offside position."

So why didn’t FIFA show the images during the match? "A brief technical issue occurred during the game, preventing the offside animation from being displayed," the organization explained in a statement.

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