FIFA announce VAR change ahead of England v Argentina match
Video Assistant Referees (VAR) will be getting a big change ahead of England vs Argentina tonight - and no, they aren’t getting rid of it.
Because of a number of dodgy decisions at this year’s World Cup, VAR officials will be located inside the stadium following a successful trial during Spain’s thrashing over France in the semis on Tuesday night (14 July).
The idea, according to reports, is that if the officials are closer to the action, the less ‘errors’ they will make.
"There's a lot of drama that unfolds in these games. And look, when you are asking only four officials to manage what's going on on the field, it's very difficult on a field that's much bigger than an American football field," said Dan Hunt, Owner of FC Dallas and FIFA World Cup Organising Committee member.
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"I'm glad that there's gonna be on-site. I don't know what that communication's gonna look like."
It comes after Alf-Inge Haaland, Erling Haaland’s dad, said Norway were ‘robbed’ in the quarter-final because of a refereeing decision.
'We got robbed today'
Norway had a goal by Torbjorn Heggem, which would have put them 2-1 up, ruled out after Haaland pushed over Elliot Anderson at a corner.
“Saved by the referee. Hope you win the WC now. But feel we got robbed today,” the father penned on X.
“Well done Bellingham and referee”.
Well, thanks to Jude, England now have a chance of making it to the final and boss Thomas Tuchel seemed upbeat while answering questions about the upcoming grudge match this evening.
'There’s so much to love about this England squad'
When asked if he felt burdened by England’s 60-year wait for World Cup, the German manager said: “No, but I think that’s essentially what a World Cup is for.
“To excite the country, to excite fans and to transmit energy and make people forget their worries, make people’s lives better for 90, 120 minutes, and be just combined and be united and represented by a team.
“There’s so much to love about this England squad and our team that I’m very glad that that that people feel it.”
He added: “A burden? No, I don’t feel a burden. I mean, we feel the tension and I will be nervous, and of course that is that is normal.
“But I feel no burden. I feel what I really like is what I feel in the last days that the players are very, very competitive. They are very excited and like I said, they are hungry to play this match.
“I mean the two shirts are just iconic, the historic matches are iconic. There are iconic moments, but everyone recognises this shirt straight away, everyone recognises the players straightaway.
“So, it is the absolute beauty in the magnitude of a match, in the magnitude of an occasion. But, me personally, I don’t feel it as a burden. I will feel the nerves and the tension. That is quite normal, but that just comes normal with these matches.”
2026 World Cup results so far
Tuesday, 14 July
Semi-final - Match 101: France vs Spain, 2-0
Sunday, 12 July
Quarter-final - Match 100: Argentina vs Switzerland, 3-1
Saturday, 11 July
Quarter-final - Match 99: Norway vs England, 1-2
Friday, 10 July
Quarter-final - Match 98: Spain vs Belgium, 2-1
Thursday, 9 July
Quarter-final - Match 97: France vs Morocco, 2-0
Tuesday 7 July
Round of 16 - Match 94: USA vs Belgium, 1-4
Round of 16 - Match 95: Argentina vs Egypt, 3-2
Round of 16 - Match 96: Switzerland vs Colombia, 0-0 (4-3 on penalties)
Monday 6 July
Round of 16 - Match 92: Mexico vs England, 2-3
Round of 16 - Match 93: Portugal vs Spain, 0-1
Sunday 5 July
Round of 16 - Match 91: Brazil vs Norway, 1-2
Saturday 4 July
Round of 32 - Match 87: Colombia vs Ghana, 1-0
Round of 16 - Match 90: Canada vs Morocco, 0-3
Round of 16 - Match 89: Paraguay vs France, 0-1
Friday 3 July
Round of 32 - Match 83: Portugal vs Croatia, 2-1
Round of 32 - Match 85: Switzerland vs Algeria, 2-0
Round of 32 - Match 88: Australia vs Egypt, 1-1 (2-4 on penalties)
Round of 32 - Match 86: Argentina vs Cabo Verde, 3-2
Thursday, 2 July
Round of 32 - Match 81: USA vs Bosnia & Herzegovnia, 2-0
Round of 32 - Match 84: Spain vs Austria, 3-0
Wednesday, 1 July
Round of 32 - Match 79: Mexico vs Ecuador, 2-0
Round of 32 - Match 80: England vs DR Congo, 2-1
Round of 32 - Match 82: Belgium vs Senegal, 3-2
Tuesday, 30 June
Round of 32 - Match 75: Netherlands vs Morocco, 1-1 (3-2)
Round of 32 - Match 78: Ivory Coast vs Norway, 2-1
Round of 32 - Match 77: France vs Sweden, 3-0
Monday, 29 June
Round of 32 - Match 76: Brazil vs Japan, 2-1
Round of 32 - Match 74: Germany vs Paraguay, 1-1 (4-3)
Sunday, 28 June
Group K: Colombia vs Portugal, 0-0
Group K: DR Congo vs Uzbekistan, 3-1
Group J: Algeria vs Austria, 3-3
Group J: Jordan vs Argentina, 3-1
Round of 32 - Match 73: South Africa vs Canada, 1-0
Saturday, 27 June
Group H: Cape Verde vs Saudi Arabia, 0-0
Group H: Uruguay vs Spain, 1-0
Group G: New Zealand vs Belgium, 5-1
Group G: Egypt vs Iran, 1-1
Group L: Panama vs England, 2-0
Group L: Croatia vs Ghana, 2-1
Friday, 26 June
Group I: Senegal vs Iraq, 5-0
Group I: Norway vs France, 4-1
Group F: Tunisia vs Netherlands, 3-1
Group F: Japan vs Sweden, 1-1
Group D: Türkiye vs USA, 3-2
Group D: Paraguay vs Australia, 0-0
Thursday, 25 June
Group A: South Africa vs South Korea, 1-0
Group A: Mexico vs Czech Republic, 3-0
Group E: Curacao vs Ivory Coast, 2-0
Group E: Germany vs Ecuador, 2-1
Wednesday, 24 June
Group C: Brazil vs Scotland, 3-0
Group C: Morocco vs Haiti, 4-2
Group B: Qatar vs Bosnia-Herzegovnia, 3-1
Group B: Switzerland vs Canada, 2-1
Group L: Panama vs Croatia, 1-0
Group L: Colombia vs DR Congo, 1-0
Tuesday, 23 June
Group I: Norway vs Senegal, 3-2
Group J: Algeria vs Jordan, 2-1
Group K: Portugal vs Uzbekistan, 5-0
Group L: England vs Ghana, 0-0
Monday, 22 June
Group G: New Zealand vs Egypt, 1-3
Group J: Argentina vs Austria, 2-0
Group I: France vs Iraq, 3-0
Sunday, 21 June
Group E: Ecuador vs Curaçao, 0-0
Group F: Tunisia vs Japan, 0-4
Group G: Belgium vs Iran, 0-0
Group H: Spain vs Saudi Arabia, 4-0
Group H: Uruguay vs Cape Verde, 2-2
Saturday, 20 June
Group C: Brazil vs Haiti, 3-0
Group D: Turkey vs Paraguay, 0-1
Group E: Germany vs Ivory Coast, 2-1
Group F: Netherlands vs Sweden, 5-1
Friday, 19 June
Group A: Mexico vs South Korea, 1-0
Group C: Scotland vs Morocco, 0-1
Group D: USA vs Australia, 2-0
Thursday 18 June
Group L: Ghana vs Panama, 1-0
Group K: Uzbekistan vs Colombia, 1-3
Group A: Czech Republic vs South Africa, 1-1
Group B: Switzerland vs Bosnia & Herzegovina, 4-1
Group B: Canada vs Qatar, 6-0
Wednesday 17 June
Group K: Portugal vs DR Congo, 1-1
Group L: England vs Croatia, 4-2
Group J: Argentina vs Algeria, 3-0
Group J: Austria vs Jordan, 3-1
Tuesday 16 June
Group G: Iran vs New Zealand, 2-2
Group I: France vs Senegal, 3-1
Group I: Iraq vs Norway, 1-4
Monday, 15 June
Group E: Ivory Coast vs Ecuador, 1-0
Group F: Sweden vs Tunisia, 5-1
Sunday, 14 June
Group C: Haiti vs Scotland, 0-1
Group D: Australia vs Turkey, 2-0
Group E: Germany vs Curaçao, 7-1
Group F: Netherlands vs Japan, 2-2
Saturday, 13 June
Group D: USA vs Paraguay, 4-1
Group B: Qatar vs Switzerland, 1-1
Group C: Brazil vs Morocco, 1-1
Friday, 12 June
Group A: South Korea vs Czech Republic, 2-1
Group B: Canada vs Bosnia & Herzegovina, 1-1
Thursday, 11 June
Group A: Mexico vs South Africa, 2-0
Anish Vij