VAR made history in Los Angeles: Ream's caution overturned, Almirón punished for simulation in the American victory over Paraguay
VAR already had, at the start of the 2026 World Cup, a moment that will be mentioned for a long time in discussions about the limits of technology in football. In the Group D match at Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood, in the Los Angeles area, the United States defeated Paraguay 4:1, and the match, according to FIFA's Match Centre, was played on June 13, 2026, Central European Time, or on the evening of June 12 local time. The result gave the tournament host a strong start to the competition, but equally important was the refereeing precedent from the second half. American defender Tim Ream first received a yellow card after a duel with Miguel Almirón, but referee Danny Makkelie changed the decision after a video review. Instead of Ream, Almirón was cautioned for simulation, making this the first time at a World Cup that VAR's expanded ability to correct a card shown to the wrong player was applied.
One review that changed the disciplinary record
The disputed situation occurred at the beginning of the second half, when Almirón fell after a duel with Ream. On the field, Makkelie initially judged that the American defender had committed a foul and showed him a yellow card. According to the Guardian report, Ream immediately protested, and video referee Carlos del Cerro Grande then recommended a review of the footage. After going to the monitor, Makkelie overturned the caution for Ream and showed a yellow card to Almirón, judging that the Paraguayan midfielder had simulated a foul.
Such a decision did not change the result, but it had direct competitive consequences. A yellow card at a major tournament is not merely a statistic, but a potential burden for the continuation of the group stage, because players must be careful about the accumulation of cautions. Ream thus avoided entering the rest of the competition with a card that, according to the subsequent review, should not have been recorded against him. The Guardian also highlighted additional symbolism: 38-year-old Ream had already, by appearing in the match, become the oldest player in the history of the United States men's national team at the World Cup, and then he also found himself at the center of the first World Cup case involving the new VAR category.
For the Paraguayan side, the decision meant the opposite effect. Almirón, instead of winning a foul, entered the record as a player punished for simulation. In football's rules, simulation is treated as unsporting behaviour because it attempts to lead the referee to an incorrect decision. That is precisely why the intervention was interesting beyond the match itself: VAR not only protected the wrongly punished player, but changed the direction of the disciplinary decision and sanctioned the player who, according to the referee's judgment after reviewing the footage, had caused the initial incorrect decision.
What the new rule allows VAR to do
The International Football Association Board, IFAB, confirmed ahead of the 2026 World Cup a package of changes aimed at faster game flow, clearer disciplinary powers and broader, but still limited, use of video technology. According to IFAB's summary of changes to the Laws of the Game for the 2026/27 season, VAR can now intervene when a player has incorrectly been shown a red or yellow card and the offence was committed by another player from either team. The same rules also introduce the possibility of reviewing a clearly incorrect second caution that leads to a sending-off, while the review of an incorrectly awarded corner is allowed as a competition option if the decision can be changed without delaying the restart of play.
It is important, however, that VAR has not been given the authority to re-referee every disputed caution. IFAB's VAR protocol still stresses that the video referee becomes involved only in cases of a clear and obvious error or a serious missed incident in precisely defined categories. In cases of mistaken identity, the review concerns whether the card was attributed to the wrong player, not an unlimited re-examination of every refereeing judgment. That is why the Ream-Almirón case is particularly interesting: on the field, a player was cautioned who, according to the footage, had not committed a foul, while the player who fell in the duel was subsequently punished for simulation.
IFAB and FIFA had previously announced that part of the changes, although formally belonging to the edition of the rules that comes into force on July 1, 2026, could be applied earlier in competitions that begin before that date, including the World Cup. This made the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico the first major global competition in which the new framework could be seen in a full competitive context. In practice, the case from Los Angeles showed what such an intervention might look like: the initial decision was made on the field, VAR identified a possible clear error, the referee reviewed the footage and then publicly changed the disciplinary decision.
The American match was settled already in the first half
Although the refereeing precedent shaped the headline interpretations of the match, the result against Paraguay was equally striking. According to FIFA's match report, Folarin Balogun scored two goals, and the team led by Mauricio Pochettino played one of its most convincing matches at World Cups. According to reports by Sky Sports and other media that covered the encounter, the United States took the lead as early as the 7th minute after an own goal by Damián Bobadilla, and Balogun then scored in the 31st minute and in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time. Paraguay reduced the deficit in the 73rd minute through Maurício, while Giovanni Reyna made it a final 4:1 in the eighth minute of added time.
Such a development gave the match a clear competitive framework. The American national team went into the break with a three-goal advantage, reducing the pressure in the continuation and enabling control of the tempo. The Associated Press reported that Christian Pulisic had a very notable role in the first half and took part in creating early chances, but did not appear after halftime because, according to the same report, he left the game out of caution following a calf problem. Such an outcome was important for Pochettino because the team opened the tournament convincingly, but at the same time had to take into account the workload of key players in the tight group schedule.
Paraguay, on the other hand, was in a difficult position already after the first 45 minutes. Gustavo Alfaro's team failed to stop American attacks down the flanks and through the half-spaces, and Maurício's goal in the second half did not significantly change the impression. The disciplinary part of the match further showed the frustration of the Paraguayan team: according to available statistical reports, Paraguay finished the match with more cautions than the opponent, including Almirón's card after the VAR review. In a group in which every match may prove decisive, a three-goal defeat and a negative goal difference represent a serious problem already after the first appearance.
A historic moment for the host and the tournament in a new format
The 2026 World Cup is special also because of its format. FIFA states that it is being played for the first time with 48 national teams and a total of 104 matches, hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. Los Angeles is one of sixteen host cities, and FIFA previously announced that Los Angeles Stadium would host eight matches, including the opening match of the American national team. In that context, the victory against Paraguay was not only a good sporting result, but also an important marketing and competitive moment for one of the tournament hosts.
Group D further increases the importance of the start. According to FIFA's group overview, the United States plays against Paraguay, Australia and Turkey, and the expanded format brings additional calculations in the fight for the knockout stage. Three points from the first match give the host a major advantage over the national team that opened the competition with a defeat, but they do not guarantee a calm passage. FIFA's schedule shows that the United States plays against Australia in Seattle on June 19, while Paraguay faces Turkey the same day in the San Francisco Bay Area. In the final round, on June 25, the United States returns to Los Angeles for the match against Turkey, while Paraguay plays against Australia.
For the American team, the way in which the victory was achieved is especially important. Balogun's finishing, Pulisic's creativity in the first half, Reyna's goal off the bench and the stability of the defence for most of the match gave Pochettino a broad foundation for the continuation of the tournament. Ream's case, although refereeing-related, fit into the same picture: the host obtained both the result and a favourable outcome in one disciplinary situation that could have unnecessarily burdened the experienced defender. In tournament football, such details often become important only later, when cards, injuries and minutes played are added up.
VAR between fairness and the rhythm of the game
The decision from Los Angeles reopened the old debate about VAR, but this time with a concrete example showing why football bodies expanded the protocol. Critics of video technology often warn that reviews slow down matches and disrupt the emotional rhythm of the game. Supporters, however, argue that in cases of clear errors, especially those that can affect suspensions and players' disciplinary status, speed must not be placed ahead of accuracy. IFAB's protocol explicitly states that the accuracy of the final decision is more important than speed, although the process should be completed as efficiently as possible.
In the specific case, the intervention was understandable for viewers as well: the player who was shown the card had not, according to the reviewed footage, committed a foul, and the player who fell was punished for simulation. VAR thereby gained the role of a corrective mechanism that changes not only major decisions such as penalty kicks or sendings-off, but also those disciplinary details that can have delayed consequences. This is especially important at the World Cup, where the rhythm of matches accelerates and every caution can affect a team's line-up in the following rounds.
At the same time, this case does not mean that referees will from now on review every disputed yellow-card situation at the monitor. The rule remains narrowly framed, and its purpose is to correct obvious errors in the identity of the punished player, not to open the door to constant interruptions of play. If it is applied rarely and consistently, it can increase confidence in refereeing without overly damaging the tempo. If, however, the boundaries of intervention begin to expand beyond clear cases, the debate about excessive use of VAR will quickly return to the forefront.
A precedent that will be followed during the rest of the championship
The first major test of the expanded VAR protocol ended with a decision that, according to available reports, was accepted as the correction of an obvious error. For Ream it meant the removal of an unjust caution, for Almirón an entry for simulation, and for the referees proof that the new rules can be applicable even in situations that develop quickly and seemingly do not carry great weight. Yet precisely such situations often show how important details are in modern football, especially at a tournament with a large number of matches and short intervals between them.
The United States leaves Los Angeles with a convincing victory and first place in the group after its appearance, while Paraguay must quickly find an answer before the second match. Above the result, it will remain recorded that the duel between the host and the Paraguayan national team became the first World Cup match in which VAR corrected a card shown to the wrong player under the new protocol. That precedent will not by itself resolve all doubts about video technology, but it will be an important reference point whenever the question again arises at this championship of what VAR may do, what it must do and how far it should go in protecting the correct refereeing decision.
Sources:
- FIFA Match Centre – official data on the USA - Paraguay match, the result, time and location of the encounter (link)
- FIFA – match report from USA - Paraguay and overview of Folarin Balogun's performance (link)
- The IFAB – official summary of changes to the Laws of the Game 2026/27 and expansion of the VAR protocol (link)
- The IFAB – official VAR protocol and explanation of the mistaken identity category (link)
- FIFA Legal – announcement on the decisions of the 140th Annual General Meeting of IFAB and earlier application of the changes at the 2026 World Cup (link)
- The Guardian – report on the case of Tim Ream, Miguel Almirón and the first application of the VAR rule on mistaken identity at the World Cup (link)
- Associated Press – report on the United States' 4:1 victory over Paraguay and the context of the American national team's performance (link)
- FIFA – 2026 World Cup schedule and Group D matches (link)