World Cup 2026: Most controversial VAR officiating decisions in group stage
Key takeaways
- From Iran’s stoppage-time winner ruled out by VAR, to Ghana denied a penalty against England – all the controversies.
- Al Jazeera takes a look at the five of the most debatable calls in the group stage:
- 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.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
From Iran’s stoppage-time winner ruled out by VAR, to Ghana denied a penalty against England – all the controversies.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Iran's Shoja Khalilzadeh reacts after scoring a goal in the 93rd minute against Egypt on Friday that was later ruled offside following a VAR review at Seattle Stadium [Richard Heathcote/Getty Images via AFP]By Manasi Pathak Published On 28 Jun 202628 Jun 2026On-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: