At the 2026 FIFA World Cup, an expanded intervention by the VAR system was used for the first time in a case of a mistaken player. It happened during the opening match of host nation the USA, who won 4:1. A few minutes into the second half, referee Danny Makkelie changed the original verdict concerning American captain Tim Ream. teraz.sk ↗
Ream received a yellow card in a situation that caused confusion among the spectators as well. Under the new rule, however, the video assistant could intervene even in a case that did not involve mistaken identity between players of the same team. The previous rules allowed such an error to be reviewed only if the referee had cautioned or sent off the wrong player from the same team. n-tv ↗
After the VAR intervention, the card was transferred to a player on the opposing team. The articles mention Miguel Almirón in this context, who was penalized for simulation. The situation was also notable in that play had already resumed after the original card was given, yet the refereeing team subsequently returned to review the verdict. sport.cz - fotbal ↗
The case became one of the first practical examples of the video referee's broader powers at the tournament. The verdict held special significance for Ream, since at 38 years and 250 days old he became the USA's oldest player to appear in a World Cup match. Thus, right at the start of the championship, the new rule already showed that it can also intervene in situations that could not have been corrected under the older rules. n-tv ↗
VAR at the World Cup Changed a Card for the First Time After Player Confusion
This summary was generated by artificial intelligence. It may contain inaccuracies. Please verify information in the original sources below.
Sources (6)
Aufklärung für TV-Zuschauer: Neue Regel wird bei Fußball-WM erstmals angewendet
n-tv
| 09:09 13.06.
Gut für US-Kapitän: Neue Regel kommt bei WM erstmals zum Einsatz
n-tv
| 09:00 13.06.
Na MS VAR zasiahol v prípade karty pre Reama, arbiter verdikt zmenil
teraz.sk
| 08:55 13.06.
Az amerikai válogatott csapatkapitánya lett az első nyertese a videóbírós szabályváltozásnak
Telex
| 08:39 13.06.
Fußball-WM: Bei US-Sieg: Videobeweis greift dank neuer Regel ein
Tagesspiegel
| 06:08 13.06.
VAR makes 'mistaken identity' history as strange booking confuses fans
BBC News
| 05:43 13.06.
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