FIFA’s boldest VAR overhaul yet: Two new 2026 World Cup rules could change soccer forever

As FIFA prepares the framework for the 2026 World Cup, soccer’s lawmakers are weighing their most ambitious Video Assistant Referee expansion yet—one that could reshape how the sport is officiated at its highest level.

The world of elite officiating may be about to change again. As FIFA prepares the framework for the 2026 World Cup, soccer’s lawmakers are weighing their most ambitious Video Assistant Referee expansion yet—one that could reshape how the sport is officiated at its highest level. In a tournament where the margin for error is microscopic and where every tight call can tilt the narrative of an entire nation, FIFA is exploring innovations designed to eliminate the small yet decisive mistakes that have frustrated teams for years. The proposal, wrapped in secrecy and cautious language, hints at two bold officiating tools that could debut on the grandest stage in North America.

Behind the scenes, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) and FIFA have been engaged in intensive debate over the future reach of VAR. The discussions have pushed beyond the traditional limits of goals, penalties, red cards, and mistaken identity toward a deeper system with enhanced accuracy. And although the details remain deliberately obscured at the outset, plans are now advanced enough that next summer’s World Cup could become the testing ground for changes never before seen in the sport.

Expanding VAR’s reach: FIFA’s push for new authority

According to The Times, soccer’s governing bodies are actively considering a temporary exemption that would allow FIFA to run bespoke officiating trials during its own tournaments. This would break from the usual protocol—where new technologies debut in lower-tier leagues—by bringing cutting-edge innovations straight into the highest-pressure environment.

Internally, FIFA has expressed a desire to reduce the number of “factual errors” that cannot be checked by existing VAR rules. Pierluigi Collina, the organization’s head of refereeing, has argued that modern technology is capable of solving incidents that, until now, have been left entirely to the referee’s eyes.

He pointed to past controversies as justification. In one example recalled during meetings, Collina referenced “an incident in the Euro 2016 final, when Portugal were wrongly awarded a free-kick in extra time that nearly led to a goal”—a moment he says would be avoidable with more flexible VAR intervention.

What FIFA wants to trial at 2026 World Cup

Midway through the internal discussions lies the key element FIFA hopes to test at the 2026 tournament. The proposal centers on introducing VAR involvement in two specific decision types, both of which have historically been deemed outside the system’s scope.

The first new rule concerns how the game restarts after the ball leaves the field for a set piece. FIFA proposes that VAR should determine whether the ball fully crossed the goal line and which team last touched it—adding a new safeguard against incorrect decisions that could lead directly to scoring opportunities.

The second new rule would allow VAR to correct disciplinary outcomes that hinge on cumulative decisions rather than a single major offence. IFAB has already expressed openness to this measure, and the World Cup may be the first major competition to implement it.

Under FIFA’s vision, “any error that can be identified quickly by the VAR should be communicated to the referee”—a principle Collina believes reflects the reality of modern officiating.