The use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) has become predominant in professional soccer, so it’s almost hard to remember a time when it wasn’t used. While it hasn’t been perfect, the technology has helped to overcome some serious errors by referees.
With the Concacaf World Cup Qualifiers returning this week for the double-fixture of the month, many people wonder if the VAR is going to be used in these matches. In September, UScoach Gregg Berhalter and Mexico’s coach Tata Martino were vocal about the lack of VAR in the qualifiers.
With only three direct spots and one for a play-offs, the eight remaining teams will want to have the best results and don’t lose points due to errors by match officials. Here, check out if the VAR will be used during these next Concacaf World Cup Qualifiers matches.
FIFA World Cup 2022 Qualifiers: Will there be VAR for November matches?
The VAR won’t be used during the Concacaf World Cup Qualifiers matches of November. According to Concacaf, this has to do with the fact that only the United States, Mexico and Canada have an established and certified VAR system.
In a statement released in September, Concacaf explained that the World Cup Qualifiers are subject to FIFA regulations and “a key criteria determining whether VAR could be used in this competition is for the technology to be currently available, in certified stadiums, for the matches of each of the participating federations.”
“Despite the challenges of the public health situation, in March 2021 Concacaf successfully trained a new pool of referees in order to fully implement VAR for centralized Confederation competitions, including the Concacaf Nations League Finals and the Concacaf Gold Cup.”