VAR · since 2018

VAR caused a huge spike in penalties at the tournament.

VAR was used at a senior FIFA tournament for the first time in 2018. That edition saw 29 penalties awarded — the highest in tournament history at the time — compared with 13 in 2014 and 15 in 2010. Several of the additional penalties were the direct result of VAR reviews of in-box incidents that the on-pitch crew had not flagged.