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Five refereeing decisions involving video assistant technology drew attention during matches between June 23 and 27. Iran, Colombia, Brazil and Ecuador each saw potential scoring plays overturned or upheld under review.
France 24Video assistant referee reviews produced several disputed calls across World Cup group stage matches played between June 23 and 27. In four of the five incidents, the decisions affected goals or penalty claims that could have altered match outcomes. Iran drew 1-1 with Egypt on Friday at Seattle Stadium.
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Substitute Shoja Khalilzadeh scored in the 93rd minute, but VAR disallowed the goal for offside by a margin of barely a millimetre. Colombia played Portugal on Saturday in Miami. Davinson Sanchez headed in a stoppage-time goal that the linesman ruled offside by the length of a toe.
Ghana drew 0-0 with England on Tuesday in Boston. In the 79th minute, Ezri Konsa tackled Prince Kwabena Adu inside the penalty area without touching the ball, yet the referee awarded no penalty. Brazil defeated Scotland 3-0 in Miami.
Vinicius Jr scored in the 22nd minute after taking the ball from Jack Hendry, but VAR recommended an on-field review and the referee disallowed the goal for a foul. Germany lost 2-1 to Ecuador on Thursday. Leroy Sane scored within two minutes of kickoff from Florian Wirtz’s lay-off.
Aleksandar Pavlovic had earlier made a high-boot challenge on Pedro Vite, but VAR did not intervene and the goal stood. Samir Xaud, president of the Brazilian football federation, wrote to FIFA requesting consistent application of VAR intervention standards and referee appointment considerations.
These outlets didn't split into competing frames — coverage was uniform.
CBS SportsSouth Africa and Canada will face off in the 2026 World Cup knockout stage for the first time for both teams. The match kicks off at 3 p.m. ET in Inglewood, California.
Al JazeeraCanada meets South Africa in a Round of 32 match at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on Sunday at 3:00 PM ET. The game is part of the expanded 48-team tournament and will be shown on Fox and streaming services.
France 24The group phase concluded on June 28 after 72 matches. Attendance surpassed the previous record of 3.6 million spectators with three weeks remaining.