The stats show that there have been more VAR reviews at the World Cup than in the Premier League. So why does perception suggest the opposite?

Complaining about the video assistant referee has become a sport all of its own in the Premier League. It has felt very different at the 2026 World Cup, where VAR has largely been pretty low key. So it may come as a surprise that rate of VAR interventions per game is higher than in the Premier League last season. Perception can be just as powerful as the facts, especially in the emotionally charged world of football. Games come thick and fast at a World Cup. No sooner has one incident happened, another match comes along to wash over it. In the Premier League, where supporters have a vested interest in every game, controversy does not fade away quite so quickly. Think of the red card for South Africa's Themba Zwane for violent conduct in the opening game. Or the referee rejecting a penalty review after France's Kylian Mbappe appeared to be tripped by Senegal's Sadio Mane.