December 2 – Digital technology is seeing human decisions increasingly being taken away from the men in black and replaced by VAR. Now, FIFA, is set to push that line even further at the 2026 World Cup, where it plans to review whether corner kicks were awarded correctly.
The concept of looking at corner kicks was raised in October during an IFAB meeting, where there was agreement on expanding VAR to cover things like mistaken second yellow cards. But checking corners didn’t get the same support. That leaves FIFA creating a one-off system for its showcase tournament.
FIFA referees chief Pierluigi Collina, has somewhat surprisingly been one of the biggest champions of expanding VAR’s reach. He’s even suggested that any clear, quick-fixable error should be fair game for intervention.
Managers like Nottingham Forest’s Sean Dyche would welcome that after watching their teams concede goals from corners that shouldn’t have been given. But unless IFAB reverses course, he won’t see that change in his league anytime soon.
The sticking point for clubs, coaches, and fans is simple, and it boils down to delays and resources. Domestic leagues are already trying to keep VAR from slowing games down even more. They usually have two to three officials in the booth. The 2022 World Cup had five. FIFA can place cameras anywhere it wants and use the Adidas ball’s tracking tech, giving VAR instant information on who touched the ball last. Most leagues can’t come close to matching that setup.
And if corner checks became part of the standard VAR protocol, every league with VAR would have to follow suit. With an average of ten corners per match, reviews could potentially pile up fast. Decisions might still be correct, but the rhythm of the game, which VAR disrupts with lengthy delays, will be impacted.
There’s another rule that complicates things. Once a corner is taken and play continues, the restart can’t be changed. So, every corner would have to be checked before the ball is back in play. That means more stoppages, even if most calls are obvious.
Without much consultation amongst its members, FIFA is moving ahead on its own. At the 2026 World Cup, corners will effectively become a fifth category of VAR review, right alongside goals, penalties, red cards, and mistaken identity.
Which brings us back to the big question, which is how much oversight do we want? Because if VAR keeps expanding (it won’t stop at corners), we may drift toward an NFL-style system where almost every restart becomes reviewable. And once we head down that road, the game we get will look very different from the game we grew up with.
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