Wednesday, July 15th 2026
Just hours before the World Cup semi-final, FIFA has decided that the VAR team will operate live from the stadium in Atlanta.
England are preparing for their spectacular World Cup semi-final against Argentina on Wednesday evening, as FIFA has approved a significant change to the operation of the VAR system.
The Three Lions aim to reach their first World Cup final since from the historic 1966 triumph.
Thomas Tuchel’s side booked a place in the semi-finals after a dramatic 2-1 win over Norway, in a match where Jude Bellingham was once again the main protagonist.
Norway took the lead in the 45th minute through Andreas Schjelderup, but Bellingham equalized and then scored the decisive goal in the third minute
The 23-year-old midfielder shone at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, but his performance was not the only topic of attention after the match.
England, like several other national teams during this tournament, faced controversial decisions from the VAR system.
Tuchel’s side had a penalty disallowed after technical interference, although footage suggested Djed Spence was knocked down inside the area by a Norwegian defender.
There was also great controversy in the match between Argentina and Egypt, which the defending champions won with a score of 3-2.
The Egyptians thought they had created a two-goal lead, but Mostafa Ziko’s goal was disallowed. The referees ruled that Lisandro Martinez had been fouled early in the action.
After the dramatic elimination, the Egyptian Football Federation sent a scathing statement to FIFA, expressing its displeasure with the way the decisions were made by the referees and the VAR system.
Criticism of the refereeing has continued to mount throughout the tournament, putting FIFA under great pressure.
In an effort to respond to the criticism, FIFA has decided that VAR referees will be present live in the stadium during the semi-final between England and Argentina in Atlanta.
Until now, VAR officials had monitored all matches from a common hub at the International Broadcast Center in Dallas, regardless of the city where the match took place.
The change represents a significant departure from how the review system has operated during the tournament.
Presence of the VAR team at the stadium will also serve as a safety measure in case of technical problems or interruptions in communication with the center in Dallas.
However, it is not yet clear whether this change will directly improve the speed or accuracy of decisions.
The referee who has never lost with Messi
American referee Ismail Elfath will officiate the semi-final between England and Argentina.
He will to be assisted by Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins, while Italian Maurizio Mariani will be the fourth official.
An interesting statistic is that Lionel Messi has never lost a game officiated by Elfath.
England will be looking to end this streak as they aim to secure their first World Cup final in 60 years.
Dan Hunt, FC Dallas owner and member of the FIFA Organizing Committee for World Cup, explained the reason for moving VAR to the stadium for the final matches of the tournament.
“There are a lot of dramatic situations in these games. When you only need four referees to control everything that happens on the pitch, it becomes extremely difficult, especially on a field that is much bigger than American football,” Hunt stated.
“I am delighted that VAR will be in the stadium. I don’t know exactly how it will work yet. communication.”
Moving the VAR team closer to the pitch does not necessarily guarantee that the technology will work differently.
The main task remains the same: referees must make the right decisions at the most important moments of the match.
It is in this respect that VAR and match officials have been repeatedly criticized during the World Cup.
However, in the face of huge pressure from national teams and fans, FIFA had to show that it was taking concrete measures.
It now remains to be seen whether the presence of VAR in the stadium will improve the standard of refereeing in one of the biggest matches of the tournament.
Source: prizrenpost
