World Cup 2026: Most controversial VAR officiating decisions in group stage
News
From Iran’s stoppage-time winner ruled out by VAR, to Ghana denied a penalty against England – all the controversies.
On-field officiating and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) produced some controversial decisions during the 2026 World Cup group stage – in some cases, the technology played a part at ultimately denying teams a shot at qualification to the knockouts or a vital victory.
Al Jazeera takes a look at the five of the most debatable calls in the group stage:
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VAR rules out Khalilzadeh’s late goal, breaking Iranian hearts
One of the most debatable refereeing calls came in Iran’s 1-1 draw with Egypt on Friday when, in the third minute of stoppage time, substitute Shoja Khalilzadeh’s goal was disallowed after a VAR check.
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