• Summary
• VAR interventions in 2026 quickly exceeded totals from the 64-game 2018 and 2022 tournaments
• Collina and IFAB added four new areas where VAR can intervene
• Critics allege over-reach and inconsistency of application

MIAMI, July 10 (Reuters) – If FIFA President Gianni Infantino imagined his embrace of technology might finally put an end to disputes over refereeing decisions, the World Cup would have disabused him of the notion.

The use of technology has been at the heart of every major controversy at the ​tournament, including the saga around the red card for Folarin Balogun that drew in U.S. President Donald Trump.

Criticism of technology has ranged from charges of overreach and inconsistency of application, to full-blown conspiracy theories ‌that VAR was being used to determine the outcome of matches in favour of certain teams or players.

Egypt coach Hossam Hassan gave voice to all three on Tuesday after his team had a goal scratched off by VAR because of a foul at the other end of the pitch, and a penalty shout that went unchecked, before losing 3-2 to Argentina in the last 16.

“What’s happening isn’t fair,” he said.

FIFA referees’ chief Pierluigi Collina said in an interview on Wednesday that he was happy with how things were going and in particular defended the ​decision to disallow the Egypt goal for a foul in the lead-up.

“There is no defined limit regarding either the distance from goal or the amount of time between the incident and the goal,” he wrote.

“We ​believe that a foul is a foul. Regardless of whether the foul appears ‘obvious’, if the referee did not see it on the field of play, the VAR can intervene.”

The ⁠Video Assistant Referee (VAR) was initially developed as a remedy for “clear and obvious” refereeing mistakes such as Diego Maradona’s famous ‘Hand of God’ handball goal against England in the 1986 tournament.

The introduction of VAR at the World Cup was resisted by Sepp ​Blatter when he was FIFA president but it was quickly adopted by Infantino when he took over the job in 2016.

There were 20 VAR interventions in 64 matches at the 2018 World Cup and fewer than 30 in the same ​number of games in Qatar in 2022, but those numbers were quickly dwarfed in the early stages of the 2026 tournament, which will have 104 matches.

MORE INTERVENTIONS

This was deliberate, with the expanded role of the now four match officials in the television booth a key plank in Collina’s strategy for the World Cup.

In collaboration with the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the custodians of the rules of the game, Collina introduced four more areas where VAR could intervene.

Network scientist Brennan Klein said a future where a panopticon of cameras and AI adjudicated the ​match in real time, while possible, was unlikely simply because fans had already reached their limit.

“This kind of dystopian future of over-refereeing everything kind of fails to address what it’s originally designed to intervene on,” Klein, who with his team ​at Northeastern University has been analysing data throughout the tournament, told Reuters.

“My sense is that fans in the stadium, by and large, just hate this. They’ve sort of been informed that this is the right way to do things, but not really had ‌a say in ⁠it.

“I think fans seem to be voting with their boos.”

“ABUSE OF TECHNOLOGY”

Had the round-of-32 match between Croatia and Portugal taken place at the 2014 World Cup, it would almost certainly have ended up 2-2 at the end of regulation time.

Josko Gvardiol found the net in the 13th minute of stoppage time to equalise for Croatia, but VAR said the ball had touched Igor Matanovic on the way through to the defender, rendering his teammate offside.

The touch was not clear to the human eye, and the ball did not noticeably deviate from its course, but a sensor embedded in the ball registered contact, possibly from Matanovic’s hair.

“(The sensor) is capable of determining any slight contact … allowing officials an unprecedented level of data to make ​fast, accurate decisions,” FIFA said in a social media ​post.

Croatia great Luka Modric, whose 24-year World Cup career ⁠came to an end with the 2-1 defeat, was unimpressed.

“For some things it’s useful, but it’s either being used incorrectly or selectively, depending on the size of the team or whatever else,” he said.

“If it’s a 200% mistake, then you intervene. If it’s not, if it’s in a grey area, then there’s no reason to get involved.”

The Croatian football federation (HNS), ​who are in favour of the use of VAR, have written to FIFA asking for an explanation of the call, calling it “an abuse of technology”.

Klein said red cards ​had more than tripled in comparison ⁠with the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, with 13 issued to players up until the end of the round of 16, albeit in 94 games compared to 64 for the two previous World Cups.

At least two of them would not have been shown before VAR, with U.S striker Balogun and England defender Jarell Quansah sent off for fouls missed in real time by the referee.

Trump cited the “unfairness” of the red card when he revealed that he had contacted Infantino in a bid to have Balogun’s one-match ⁠ban overturned, even ​if the FIFA chief later said he had nothing to do with it ultimately happening.

At least Quansah’s red card and a VAR penalty ​awarded against his captain Harry Kane in their round-of-16 contest did not result in England going out of the World Cup.

That did little to calm the mood of England manager Thomas Tuchel after the dramatic 3-2 victory over Mexico at the Azteca Stadium.

“VAR overturns (but) is this an obvious error for the penalty? For sure not,” said the furious German.

“They overturned a situation where (the referee) doesn’t even give a foul. Referees just not good enough, fourth officials just not good enough.”

-Reuters

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Waving flags, singing patriotic songs and carrying banners proclaiming “Egypt’s men made us proud”, thousands of supporters welcomed Egypt’s national football team home ​on Friday after the Pharaohs produced the finest World Cup campaign in ‌the country’s history.

Crowds gathered outside Alamein International Airport on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast to greet the players and coaching staff after their return from North America, where Egypt won at the World ​Cup for the first time in four attempts and reached the last ​16. Fans also held pictures of captain Mohamed Salah bearing the ⁠words “Thank you”.

The celebrations continued as the squad boarded an open-top bus and paraded ​through New Alamein, waving to cheering supporters lining the streets. President Abdel Fattah ​al-Sisi is due to receive the team and its technical and administrative staff on Saturday.

Egypt’s Mohamed Salah waves as Egypt’s national team is welcomed by fans at El Alamein International Airport upon its return from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, ahead of an official reception by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, in El Dabaa, Egypt. REUTERS/Mohamed Abdel Ghany

Among the crowds were supporters carrying large posters of coach Hossam Hassan draped in a Palestinian flag, ​reflecting appreciation for his support of the Palestinian cause during the tournament. Egypt’s all-time ​leading scorer carried a Palestinian flag on the pitch on several occasions and voiced support for ‌Palestinian rights during press conferences.

The homecoming came despite a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat by Lionel Messi’s Argentina in the last 16. Egypt led 2-0 until the closing stages before conceding three goals in the final 11 minutes, but still returned home with pride ​after its best-ever World ​Cup run, having ⁠beaten New Zealand in the group stage and Australia on penalties in the round of 32.

Before the team’s return, the ​Egyptian Football Association renewed the contracts of Hossam Hassan and his ​twin brother ⁠Ibrahim Hassan. The federation did not disclose the length of the deal, though local media reported it would run until 2030. Hassan, 59, has revitalised the national side ⁠since ​taking charge in 2024, leading Egypt to the ​2025 Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals, ending an eight-year World Cup absence and compiling a record of ​20 wins, nine draws and six defeats

-Reuters

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BY KUNLE SOLAJA, NEW YORK

Morocco’s FIFA World Cup 2026 journey may have ended with a 2-0 quarter-final defeat to France, but the Atlas Lions have emerged from North America with their reputation enhanced and their position as Africa’s leading football nation further reinforced.

The latest live FIFA World Ranking, released in the aftermath of Morocco’s elimination, underlines just how far the North Africans have risen in world football. Despite falling short of a second successive World Cup semi-final appearance, Morocco have climbed from eighth to sixth in the world, consolidating their place at the summit of African football.

For a nation that became the first African and Arab side to reach a World Cup semi-final at Qatar 2022, another quarter-final appearance has confirmed that Morocco’s breakthrough four years ago was no one-off achievement.

Their run in the United States, Canada and Mexico saw them become the first African nation to reach consecutive World Cup quarter-finals, a feat that further elevates their standing among the game’s emerging powers.

While France ultimately proved too strong in the last eight, ending Morocco’s hopes of extending their historic adventure, the Atlas Lions leave the tournament with their heads held high and their global stature enhanced.

The rankings also reflect significant movement among Morocco’s continental rivals.

Egypt have emerged as one of the biggest winners of the World Cup, with their remarkable run to the Round of 16 lifting them from fifth to third among African nations. The Pharaohs have climbed from 29th to 24th in the world, overtaking Nigeria in the process.

Prior to the tournament, Nigeria were Africa’s third-highest-ranked team and 26th globally. However, Egypt’s historic campaign — highlighted by a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Australia and a spirited 3-2 defeat to defending champions Argentina after leading 2-0 — has earned the Pharaohs valuable ranking points and continental bragging rights.

Senegal remain Africa’s second-highest-ranked side at 14th in the world, maintaining their place among the continent’s elite.

For Morocco, however, the biggest takeaway from the rankings is the growing gap between the Atlas Lions and the rest of Africa. Now sixth in the world, they stand comfortably ahead of every other African nation and continue to set the benchmark for football excellence on the continent.

The achievement is the result of years of investment in infrastructure, youth development and elite coaching, a strategy that has transformed Morocco into one of the most respected national teams in international football.

Their latest World Cup campaign also provided further evidence that African football is entering a new era. No longer content with merely participating, African nations are increasingly competing on equal terms with traditional powers from Europe and South America.

Morocco have been at the forefront of that revolution.

Although their North American adventure ended against France, the Atlas Lions leave the tournament having strengthened their FIFA ranking, enhanced their global reputation and reaffirmed their status as Africa’s standard-bearers.

For Moroccan football, the quarter-final defeat may sting today. But viewed in a broader context, World Cup 2026 has delivered another powerful reminder that the Atlas Lions are no longer outsiders on the global stage. They are now firmly established among football’s elite.

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