2022 World Cup: VAR a welcome addition to CONCACAF qualifying

By Doug McIntyre
FOX Sports Soccer Writer

Like many disasters, the United States’ failure to reach the 2018 World Cup in Russia was caused by a perfect storm.

The 2-1 loss to already-eliminated Trinidad and Tobago in the final qualifying match was the most obvious contributing factor, but there were plenty of others: the home defeat the previous month to Costa Rica, another to Mexico to open the final round, the aging roster owing to an entire generation of players who never panned out.

But there was one other big reason that didn’t get as much attention: a goal for Panama against Costa Rica on the final match day that replay clearly showed never actually crossed the line, but in the absence of a video assistant referee, or VAR, the goal stood, helping Los Caneleros claim a phantom win that sent them to their first World Cup, ending the USMNT’s streak at seven consecutive appearances. 

The Americans could only blame themselves, of course. If they’d mustered even a tie versus what amounted to T&T’s C-team, Panama’s victory-that-shouldn’t-have-been wouldn’t have mattered. Still, had VAR been in use that night, the USA could have survived the loss and advanced despite its self-inflicted wounds along the way.

Which is why CONCACAF’s announcement Wednesday that VAR will be introduced for the final two windows of 2022 World Cup qualifying is welcome news. VAR will also be used later this year at the men’s and women’s under-20 championships and at the W Championship that serves as CONCACAF’s qualifying tournament for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. 

"There has been games and moments that can be decided based on a referee’s call," U.S. midfielder Paul Arriola, one of the national team’s few holdovers from 2017, said an hour after the official announcement. "It's a great time to add it in such important games leading into the World Cup."

The move is also overdue. While the governing body faced all sorts of challenges just to get qualifying underway — the COVID-19 pandemic twice postponed the start of the tourney, which was also expanded by two teams in the wake of the health crisis — it was roundly criticized for not having VAR in place when the "Octagonal" began in September. 

"I think it’s an error," USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter said flatly before the competition kicked off. "We need to find a way to get that done."

CONCACAF said then that some of its venues lacked the infrastructure to implement VAR from the beginning of the final round. Additional cameras needed to be installed in each arena hosting matches. The cost was significant.

"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," its statement read. "In the final round of the CONCACAF region FIFA World Cup qualifiers, five of the eight competing federations do not meet this criteria."

Now they do. Better late than never. 

To be fair, there’s a valid argument to be made that major rule changes shouldn’t take place in the middle of a competition. But then again, it’s the same for every team. And while it’s true that mathematically no game is more important than any other over the course of the 14-match sprint for each of the eight teams, there’s more pressure on players and officials alike during the last few games, when World Cup spots are being claimed (and squandered) and urgency turns into desperation. 

There’s also precedent here: In September, Europe’s governing body, UEFA, adopted VAR for its final seven matchdays after not using it during the first three. UEFA said the delay came down to "logistical complications and risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic."

But the switch came too late for Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo, who could miss the World Cup. In March, Ronaldo scored what looked like a 95th-minute winner against Serbia. But the goal was called back on the field, even though replay showed that it should’ve counted. 

That match ended in a draw, and the two dropped points eventually prevented Portugal from qualifying directly last year. Now Ronaldo and his team must beat four-time champ Italy in a home-and-home playoff in March to reach Qatar 2022. The blown call could keep one of the greatest players in history from appearing in what would surely be his swansong on the grandest stage in sports.

With VAR in use on both sides of the Atlantic moving forward, the hope is that those types of glaring errors can be avoided — even if the system isn’t always a panacea.

"There’s instances where sometimes you still watch the replay, [and] you're like, how do they still call that a certain way?" U.S. defender Walker Zimmerman said Wednesday. "But at the end of the day, I do think that in theory, and with how it can be implemented, it can be something that is an equal playing field."

One of the most prominent soccer journalists in North America, Doug McIntyre has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams in more than a dozen countries, including multiple FIFA World Cups. Before joining FOX Sports, the New York City native was a staff writer for Yahoo Sports and ESPN. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.