Ifab gives VAR power to disallow goals for fouls before set-pieces at 2026 World Cup

The International Football Association Board (Ifab) has approved an expanded VAR protocol for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, giving officials the authority to disallow goals, overturn penalty decisions, and reverse disciplinary sanctions when the attacking team commits a clear foul before a corner kick or free kick is played.

Under the new measures, if VAR identifies such an offence, it will recommend an on-field review. Should the referee determine that a foul occurred before the ball was in play, the appropriate disciplinary action will be taken and the set-piece will be retaken.

Fifa’s chief refereeing officer and chairman of the Fifa referees committee, Pierluigi Collina, cited England’s goal in their 1-1 friendly against Uruguay in March as a specific example of the kind of incident the new protocol is designed to address. Collina argued that Ben White’s goal should not have stood because Adam Wharton made a clear block to prevent Uruguay defender Jose Maria Gimenez from challenging for the ball before the corner was taken.

“We are convinced that this goal cannot stand, it is completely unfair,” Collina said. “If a foul is committed just before the ball is in play, we are convinced that nobody can object to something.”

The rule change adds to a series of VAR expansions already planned for this summer’s tournament. Officials will also be able to review red cards resulting from a wrongful second booking or mistaken identity involving a second yellow card, and can intervene if a corner has been incorrectly awarded instead of a goal-kick.

A separate issue — teams using player injuries to break up play and hold tactical discussions on the sidelines — was also discussed by Ifab in March, though no formal sanction was agreed. Collina said the matter had been raised directly with the head coaches of all 48 World Cup nations during a dedicated workshop, and that referees would take a proactive approach to preventing teams from exploiting injury stoppages.

“We will not allow the teams going to the benches when a goalkeeper is lying on the ground injured,” Collina said. “The goalkeeper has the right to be injured, but the players do not have the right to leave the field of play” for tactical purposes.