The video assistant is only allowed to intervene in certain situations. The creation of corners is not one of them so far – but that could change.
According to information from Sportschau, FIFA has scheduled the annual board meeting International Football Association Boards (IFAB) In January it was discussed whether it should at least be approved through a test procedure that the video assistant should be allowed to draw the referees’ attention to incorrectly given corners. The IFAB and FIFA did not comment on a request from Sportschau. The meeting will take place on January 20, 2026 in London.
So far, the video assistant has been allowed to intervene in four situations:
- Goals
- Penalties
- Red cards
- Players mix up cards
In October, FIFA’s request to expand VAR powers in the IFAB was rejected. In order to make it possible to check corners at the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, a test procedure initiated by the IFAB would be conceivable. FIFA also used the referees’ announcements after VAR interventions as a test procedure at the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
The IFAB
The rules of football is not determined by FIFA, but traditionally by the IFAB, founded in 1886. But FIFA has a big say there. Four of the eight voting members at the crucial general meeting come from FIFA, the other four votes are held by the four British associations from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In order to implement a rule change, a three-quarters majority is required at the general meeting. So FIFA can’t implement anything without the British, and it doesn’t work the other way around either. In most cases, however, agreement is reached in advance anyway.
“There’s enough interruptions” – English association against the change
The English Association (FA), who has voting rights in the IFAB, spoke out against the change. The FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said the BBCit exists “no need” to expand VAR powers. “The current system already causes enough game interruptions.” He restricted: “If a proposal is presented to the IFAB, we will of course examine it as a committee.”
Mark Bullingham, head of the English FA
FIFA’s argument: If a corner is wrongly decided and a goal results, this error has a decisive effect on the game and should therefore be corrected. In contrast to many other competitions, FIFA has the best possible technology at its disposal.
The number of cameras, the chip in the ball and the large number of VAR employees could ensure that all corners can be checked in real time before they are taken. As a general rule, no further intervention can take place after the game has been resumed. Example: A goal is irrevocably valid when the kick-off has been taken. However, most national leagues do not have the same resources as FIFA.
In the future, VAR will intervene in the event of incorrect yellow-red cards
In October, the IFAB members had already agreed that there should be an expansion of the video assistant’s responsibility with regard to expulsions. So far, the VAR has only been able to intervene in the case of straight red cards, but in the future it will also be able to intervene in the event of second warnings that lead to yellow-red cards. The first yellow card should not lead to any interference.
The referee holds the yellow card in his hand and pulls the red card out of his pocket
So far, a counter-argument has always been that the first yellow card, like all yellow cards, is not checked and that checking the second yellow card alone does not cover the entire situation. The committee rejected this objection.
The new authority for the VAR could be decided at the general meeting in the spring. The changes apply to the new season, and the new rules are often applied early in the big tournaments in the summer – so possibly at the 2026 World Cup.
FIFA is testing another change: two minutes out if injured
At the FIFA Arab Cup in Qatar, the world association is testing another change: all players who seek medical treatment on the pitch must then leave the pitch for two minutes. This is supposed to make time play less attractive.
The two-minute time-out should only not apply if the injury results from a foul that resulted in a yellow or red card for the opponent.
In the USA, the system has already been tested in the MLS Next Pro development league. According to the broadcaster, the number of interruptions there fell “ESPN” from about six per game to an average of 1.22.