American paper calls for VAR to be scrapped at World Cup

A US newspaper has called for VAR to be removed from the World Cup after Egypt’s controversial exit against Argentina in the 2026 last 16.

The row centres on Mustafa Ziko’s 78th-minute strike, which briefly looked to have put Egypt 3-2 up after a fine solo run. VAR intervened and disallowed the goal for a foul at the start of the move, roughly 90 metres from goal.

Egypt went on to lose 3-2 and miss out on a place in the quarter-finals.

The Wall Street Journal described the decision as the worst example of VAR in action and said officials seemed to be scouring the past to find a reason to rule the goal out. It argued the technology had moved beyond helping referees and had become something that takes away from football’s emotion.

Critics of VAR say the incident underlines a bigger problem: supporters can no longer celebrate a goal straight away, and players are left waiting to see whether a replay will erase it.