VAR reverses a yellow card between two opponents for the first time at a World Cup: USA vs Paraguay history
In the Group D opener, referee Makkelie initially booked Tim Ream, but VAR review proved Miguel Almirón dived. The yellow was switched to the Paraguayan – a first under the expanded World Cup protocol.
The incident
USA faced Paraguay in the opening match of Group D at the 2026 World Cup, ending 4-1 to the hosts. Eight minutes into the second half, Paraguayan winger Miguel Almirón burst past US defender Tim Ream near the byline. Dutch referee Danny Makkelie blew for a foul and showed Ream a yellow card. The free kick was taken, but with the ball already in play, Makkelie halted the action to consult the VAR monitor.
Replays revealed no contact – Almirón had dived. The yellow card was rescinded from Ream and instead handed to Almirón for simulation. A free kick was awarded to the United States. The sequence marked the first time in World Cup history that a Video Assistant Referee had corrected a disciplinary sanction between two opposing players, rather than merely within the same team.
Expanded VAR powers
FIFA expanded the VAR’s remit ahead of the tournament. One of the four new use cases covers “mistaken identity” that penalises the wrong team. Previously, the protocol only allowed intervention when the referee booked the wrong player on the same side. Now the VAR can step in when a foul is committed by one team but the card is shown to the other – exactly what happened in USA–Paraguay.
The IFAB Laws of the Game 2026/27, Article 5, states: “If the referee sanctions an offence but clearly misidentifies the player who committed the offence and therefore shows the yellow or red card to the wrong player of the penalised team, the identity of the offender may be reviewed.” The new interpretation extends to cases where the apparent foul is actually simulation by the opposing player.
Protocol controversy
BBC Sport questioned whether the intervention was lawful under the strict wording of the protocol. The VAR official, Spain’s Carlos Del Cerro Grande, signalled a possible error about the identity of the sanctioned player, but the review effectively changed the type of offence – from a foul to simulation. The rules state that “the type of infringement cannot be reviewed,” raising doubts about whether Del Cerro Grande overstepped his mandate.
A further procedural mistake occurred when Makkelie stopped play after the free kick had already been taken. The protocol requires the review to happen before the restart, not once the ball is live. Despite these concerns, the final decision stood – the yellow card was transferred to Almirón.
Wider context
The incident is one of four new VAR scenarios introduced for the 2026 finals. The others allow reviews for wrongly awarded corners (provided play is not delayed), fouls that occur before the restart of a set-piece, and second-yellow-card cases that could lead to a dismissal. Italian observers linked the reform to the “Bastoni case,” a domestic episode that had sparked fierce debate about simulation and mistaken identity.
