VAR — Video Assistant Referee — is a team of match officials reviewing video replays who can advise the on-field referee to take a second look at a decision. It only applies to four kinds of incidents: goals, penalties, direct red cards, and mistaken identity in a card or sending-off.

The 30-second version

VAR doesn't replace the referee. It's a safety net. When the on-field ref makes a decision, VAR watches it back. If they spot a "clear and obvious error" — and only on those four situations — they tell the ref through an earpiece and recommend a review. The referee can either trust VAR's recommendation or jog to the side of the pitch to review the footage on a monitor before deciding.

What VAR can review

1. Goals. Was the ball over the line? Was there an offside in the buildup? A foul by the attacking team? A handball that led to the goal? VAR checks every goal automatically, even ones that look obvious.

2. Penalties. Should one have been awarded that was missed? Was a given penalty actually a foul, or was it outside the box, or was there a dive?

3. Direct red cards. Not second yellows. Only straight reds for serious foul play, violent conduct, denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity, or spitting.

4. Mistaken identity. Did the referee book or send off the wrong player? VAR can identify who actually committed the offence.

Anything else — fouls in midfield, throw-in directions, corner-vs-goal-kick decisions, second yellow cards — is off-limits, even if the referee gets it wrong.

How a review actually works

1. Play continues. VAR watches replays in a video room (in the World Cup, that room is in a centralized facility).
2. If VAR sees a possible clear error on a reviewable incident, they radio the on-field referee.
3. Either VAR communicates the recommendation directly — for factual checks like offside or whether the ball crossed the line — or the referee jogs to the Referee Review Area on the side of the pitch and watches the replay themselves before deciding.
4. The referee makes the final call, signals the result with a TV-screen-shaped hand gesture, and play resumes with the appropriate restart.

For factual offside checks, the on-field ref usually doesn't watch the replay — VAR just confirms the line. For subjective calls (was that a foul? was the contact enough for a penalty?), the referee almost always reviews on the monitor.

Why it can take so long

The two situations that drag are:

• Tight offside checks. VAR has to find the exact frame the ball was kicked, then apply the calibrated lines. Frame rate matters; a single frame off can flip the decision.
• Subjective penalty/red-card reviews. The referee has to watch from multiple angles before deciding, and they're under huge pressure not to get it wrong twice.

If a goal is being checked, no celebration is official until VAR clears it.

Common fan confusion

• "Why didn't VAR review that?" — Probably because the incident wasn't one of the four reviewable categories, or VAR judged the on-field decision wasn't a clear and obvious error. VAR is deliberately conservative.
• "VAR is overruling the ref." — VAR only recommends. The on-field ref decides.
• "They moved the offside line." — They didn't. The lines are calibrated to the camera angle and the field markings. They look "drawn" but they're aligned to a 3D model.
• "VAR ruined the goal." — VAR is consistent: every goal is checked. If a goal stands, it's been confirmed; if it doesn't, there was a violation in the buildup.
• "There's a handball anytime the ball touches a hand." — Not anymore. The current handball law distinguishes between deliberate handballs and accidental ones, and considers whether the arm made the body unnaturally bigger. VAR applies that nuance.

Restart after a VAR decision

Whatever the corrected decision was. If a goal is overturned for offside, play restarts with an indirect free kick. If a penalty is awarded after review, the penalty is taken. If a red card is rescinded after review, play restarts with whatever was happening before the original card was shown.

Official rule basis

VAR is governed by the IFAB VAR Protocol, a separate document from the main Laws of the Game. FIFA adopts it for the World Cup and major competitions. The current protocol was last revised in 2024 to clarify "clear and obvious error" thresholds and to standardise the use of semi-automated offside technology.