UEFA approves VAR for 2022 World Cup qualifiers in Europe

Video Assistant Referees (VAR) will be used in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers in Europe, starting from September 2022, continental football ruling body UEFA said Thursday.

The light-touch use of VAR at Euro 2020 was widely praised, and UEFA will hope those standards are maintained in the qualifiers for Qatar, with the group stages concluding in November.

Unlike the Euros, where the VARs were based away from the matches at UEFA’s Nyon headquarters in Switzerland, the technology will be implemented on site at the stadium hosting each qualifier.

UEFA had hoped to introduce VAR into its national team qualifying competitions sooner, but the logistical difficulties caused by the coronavirus pandemic forced it to delay.

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