FIFA has shed light on the technical failure that prevented a controversial VAR graphic from appearing during Switzerland's opening FIFA World Cup 2026 Group B fixture against Qatar at Levi's Stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The match ended 1-1, with Switzerland taking the lead through a Breel Embolo penalty in the 14th minute before a Miro Muheim own goal deep in second-half stoppage time denied Murat Yakin's side all three points.

The offside question

The penalty itself was straightforward — Qatari goalkeeper Mahmud Abunada brought down Switzerland midfielder Remo Freuler inside the box, leaving referee Said Martinez with an easy call. However, broadcast replays suggested Freuler may have been in an offside position when the ball was played to him, raising immediate questions among fans and pundits.

What compounded the confusion was the absence of the animated 3D visualisation that viewers had come to expect. All 1,248 players in the 48 World Cup squads underwent 3D body scans to power an enhanced version of semi-automated offside technology (SOAT), which generates precise animated lines showing each offside review. When no such graphic appeared for this call, suspicion quickly grew.

Neville and Unkel voice frustration

ITV pundit Gary Neville spoke bluntly at half time.