More Games, More Interventions
The most straightforward reason for VAR’s expanded role is simple math. The 2026 World Cup is abandoning the 32-team, 64-match format for a sprawling 48-team tournament with a staggering 104 matches. That’s a 62.5% increase in the number of games played.
Every single one of those matches will be under the watchful eye of the Video Assistant Referee system. More minutes on the pitch, more tackles in the box, and more borderline offside runs translate directly into a larger number of potential incidents for VAR to review. Even if the rate of interventions per game stays the same as it was in Qatar 2022, the sheer volume of extra soccer guarantees a significant jump in total reviews, delays, and game-altering decisions handed down from the video booth.
The Rise of the Robot Ref
This isn’t the same VAR system from 2018. The 2026 tournament will feature the latest iteration of Semi-Automated Offside Technology (SAOT), which debuted in Qatar. This system uses a dozen specialized cameras to track 29 data points on each player’s body 50 times per second. Simultaneously, a sensor inside the match ball relays its position 500 times per second, pinpointing the exact moment of the kick. When a potential offside occurs, this technology sends an automated alert to the VAR officials. They still validate the decision, but the system provides objective, data-driven lines with unprecedented speed and accuracy. The result? Offside calls that were previously too close for the human eye—a kneecap an inch ahead of the last defender—are now easily flagged. This will inevitably lead to more goals being disallowed for the most marginal of infractions.
A Quest for Perfect Consistency
With 104 games spread across three countries and 16 cities, FIFA’s biggest challenge is ensuring refereeing consistency. How do you make sure a foul called in Mexico City is judged the same way as one in Vancouver? The answer, increasingly, is to centralize power with the VAR. Beyond objective calls like offside, VAR is used for subjective decisions: potential penalty kicks and red card offenses. As the tournament grows, there will be more pressure on officials to "go to the monitor" to ensure their call aligns with the tournament's standard. This creates a feedback loop: the more VAR is used to enforce a uniform standard, the more referees will rely on it, and the more the game's key moments will be decided not by the person on the field, but by a committee watching replays.
Higher Stakes, Higher Scrutiny
The new 48-team format introduces an additional knockout round: the Round of 32. This means a full 32 teams will play a do-or-die match after the group stage, up from 16 in the old format. More single-elimination games means more drama, higher tension, and far greater scrutiny on every single call. In a knockout match, one controversial penalty or one disallowed goal isn’t just a talking point—it's the difference between advancing and going home. This heightened pressure inevitably affects how the game is officiated. Players and coaches will be quicker to demand a review, and VAR officials, aware of the irreversible consequences of an error, will be more inclined to intervene on close calls. The increased number of high-stakes matches multiplies the moments where a VAR decision can become the defining story of a nation’s World Cup campaign.
