OFFICIAL: FIFA approves 'VAR Light', eliminates offside lines

A new version of VAR technology will officially debut in European football after receiving FIFA approval.

Since its inception, VAR has been widely deployed worldwide but it has still sparked many controversies regarding its application and the decisions that interfere with the match.

Currently, VAR is used in most top European leagues. However, the Football Association of Wales (FAW) has just confirmed that it will apply a new system called "VAR Light" at the Novira Cymru Premier, the top-tier league of Wales, starting from the 2026/27 season.

How does VAR Light work?

According to FAW, VAR Light is a simplified version of the traditional VAR used in many leagues and countries worldwide. The system's goal remains unchanged: to assist referees in correcting clear and obvious errors or situations that the main referee did not see.

Similar to current VAR, VAR referees still work in the control room for all matches. The biggest difference lies in the camera system. VAR Light uses only 4 main cameras, including:

• 2 cameras placed in the midfield area.
• 1 camera at each edge of the penalty area.

Situations where VAR Light is allowed to intervene

VAR Light can intervene in the following 5 situations during a match:

• Goals and disallowed goals: Every goal will be checked by VAR.
• Incidents in the penalty area: Including all fouls or decisions made inside the 16.50m area.
• Direct red cards: Applies to situations where a player has received a direct red card or incidents that may warrant a sending-off.
• Second yellow card issued due to a mistaken judgment of the situation: For example, a player receives a second yellow card for allegedly using his hand to block a dangerous attack, but slow-motion replays show the ball actually hit his chest. In that case, VAR can intervene to correct the decision.
• Mistaken identity: Cases where the referee shows a yellow or red card to the wrong player.

The system will not intervene in ordinary yellow cards, except when there is a possibility of upgrading to a red card. Additionally, VAR Light does not draw lines to determine very tight offside situations. The system only intervenes when the offside offense is clear.

Similarly, this technology does not assist with close calls regarding the ball crossing the line, and situations that are not clearly captured from the available camera angles will also not be reviewed.

The referee remains the final decision-maker

The Football Association of Wales emphasizes: "It is important to understand that VAR Light is not designed to re-referee the entire match. The VAR referee can only make recommendations, while the main referee remains the final decision-maker after personally reviewing the situation on the pitchside monitor."

FAW also stated that only in cases of factual determination, such as whether the ball is inside or outside the penalty area, or whether a player is offside or not, does the main referee not need to go to the monitor to review.

To help fans understand better, FAW has posted an illustrative video explaining how VAR Light works before the system is officially put into use.

The Welsh Premier League season 2026/27 with 16 participating teams will kick off on July 31. The reigning champions are The New Saints, who have dominated the league with 4 consecutive titles since the 2021/22 season. Last season, striker Jordan Williams was the top scorer with 26 goals, helping The New Saints secure a spot in the Champions League preliminary round before being eliminated by Sabah and dropping to the UEFA Conference League qualifiers.