The 11 Most Controversial Refereeing Decisions at the 2026 World Cup-Ranked

Key Points:

• The 2026 World Cup has seen numerous controversial refereeing decisions, sparking widespread criticism from managers like England’s Thomas Tuchel and Egypt’s Hossam Hassan, as well as public figures including former U.S. President Donald Trump.
• Key contentious moments include Iran’s late winner ruled out for a minimal offside, Croatia’s disallowed equalizer due to a faint offside touch, and Vinícius Jr’s goal against Scotland being overturned for a slight foul.
• Several penalty decisions have been hotly debated, such as Belgium’s late awarded penalty against Senegal, Ghana being denied a clear penalty against England, and Kylian Mbappé and Harry Kane both being denied penalties in crucial matches.
• The red card shown to Folarin Balogun after a VAR review became an international incident, with Trump reportedly pressuring FIFA to lift the suspension, highlighting the high stakes and controversy surrounding officiating.
• The most contentious calls involved Egypt’s disallowed goal in their loss to Argentina, leading to accusations of bias to keep Messi in the tournament, and Germany’s Jonathan Tah having a goal disallowed in extra time before missing a decisive penalty, resulting in Germany’s shock elimination.