Arabic version: قرارات VAR تثير الجدل في مرحلة المجموعات لكأس العالم 2026

The 2026 World Cup group stage has seen its share of controversial officiating decisions, particularly involving the Video Assistant Referee (VAR). These calls have significantly impacted teams’ chances of advancing in the tournament. According to Al Jazeera, five of the most debated VAR incidents are highlighted below.

In a dramatic encounter, Iran faced Egypt in a match that ended in a 1-1 draw. Substitute Shoja Khalilzadeh thought he had scored a late winner in the third minute of stoppage time, but VAR ruled the goal offside by barely a millimeter, dashing Iranian hopes of reaching the knockout stage for the first time.

Colombia also experienced a heart-wrenching VAR decision against Portugal. Davinson Sanchez appeared to have scored a stoppage-time goal that would have given Colombia a victory, only for the linesman to flag him offside by a toe. This decision left fans feeling robbed of a potential win.

Ghana’s 0-0 draw with England was marked by frustration as they were denied a penalty late in the game. Ghanaian fans were left wondering what could have been had the referee awarded a penalty for a foul on Prince Kwabena Adu by England’s Ezri Konsa.

Brazil’s Vinicius Jr had a goal disallowed in their match against Scotland due to a controversial foul call. After a VAR review, the referee ruled that Vinicius had fouled a defender in the build-up, a decision that sparked outrage among Brazilian players and officials.

Lastly, Ecuador was left frustrated when Germany’s Leroy Sane scored a goal that followed a high boot challenge on Pedro Vite, which VAR did not review. This incident further fueled the debate over the consistency of VAR interventions during the tournament.