Decisions

VAR explained

VAR — the video assistant referee — is now used in many top competitions to help match officials get key decisions right. This guide explains how it works, when it gets involved, and what it cannot do.

Referee decisions Read the rules guide

What VAR is

VAR is an off-field referee who watches the match on screens and can review specific incidents using broadcast footage.

VAR is short for video assistant referee. The VAR team is based in a separate room with access to multiple camera angles and works with the on-field referee through a communication system. They can flag possible errors and offer recommendations, but the on-field referee always has the final decision.

VAR is used mostly in top professional competitions. It has been written into the laws of the game by IFAB so that it is applied in the same way wherever it is used.

The four reviewable categories

VAR only gets involved in four specific areas where a wrong decision would change the outcome of a key moment.

Goals

Whether a goal should stand, including offside, fouls, handball or the ball going out of play in the build-up.

Penalty decisions

Whether a penalty was correctly awarded, missed, or wrongly given.

Direct red cards

Whether a player should be sent off for a direct red-card offence such as violent conduct or serious foul play. This does not include second yellow cards.

Mistaken identity

Whether the referee has shown a card to the wrong player.

The clear and obvious test

VAR is not designed to re-referee every incident. It only intervenes when a decision is clearly wrong.

For most subjective decisions, VAR will only suggest a change if the original call is a clear and obvious error. If a moment is borderline, the on-field referee's decision stands. This is intentional — it keeps the referee in charge of the match and avoids stopping play to look at every challenge.

For factual elements, such as whether a player was in an offside position, whether the ball was out of play, or whether an offence happened inside or outside the penalty area, VAR can usually advise the referee without an on-field review. Once the factual position is established, the decision follows the law, although some connected questions — such as whether an offside player interfered with play or an opponent — can still involve judgement.

How a review works

VAR checks happen in the background, but a full review is used only when the referee may need to change a major decision.

Check

For every relevant incident, VAR runs a check in the background. The referee can allow play to continue while the check is happening. Most checks confirm the original decision and end without a full review.

Recommend

If VAR sees a possible clear and obvious error, or a serious missed incident in one of the reviewable categories, they tell the referee. The referee can accept factual information from VAR or review the footage themselves at the pitch-side monitor.

On-field review

For subjective decisions, the referee usually goes to the monitor and reviews the footage in person. They make a clear signal — drawing a rectangle in the air — to show that a review is happening.

Decision

The referee signals or communicates the final decision on the pitch. If the original call is changed, the match restarts in line with the new decision.

What VAR does not do

VAR is designed to catch big mistakes, not to police every moment of the match.

VAR does not review yellow cards, second yellow cards leading to a sending-off, or routine fouls. It only steps in for the four reviewable categories above.

VAR cannot stop play simply to re-check any earlier event. Reviews are tied to the four reviewable categories, and for goals, penalties and some red-card situations the review normally looks back through the relevant attacking phase of play. Once play has restarted, the referee cannot usually change a restart decision unless the laws allow it.

Semi-automated offside

A newer technology builds on VAR to make offside decisions faster and more consistent.

Semi-automated offside uses specialised tracking cameras to identify player positions and help VAR set the offside line more quickly. Some systems also use connected ball technology to help identify the exact moment the ball is played, but this depends on the competition. The technology supports the officials; VAR still checks the information before the referee is told the decision.

It has been used in competitions such as the FIFA World Cup and UEFA Champions League, and versions of the technology are being adopted in several top leagues. The aim is to reduce the time taken for tight offside reviews and make the process more consistent and easier to explain.