FIFA has addressed the controversial VAR decision that led to Croatia's elimination from the FIFA World Cup 2026 following their match against Portugal. The decision revolved around a late equaliser that was disallowed due to offside, with FIFA clarifying that advanced ball technology played a crucial role in this ruling.

Drama in Toronto

In a tense Round of 32 encounter held in Toronto, Croatia seemed to have equalised in the 103rd minute when Josko Gvardiol scored from close range. However, the celebrations were cut short as VAR intervened to disallow the goal for offside. The controversy stemmed from whether Croatian forward Igor Matanovic had touched the ball before it reached Mario Pasalic, who was in an offside position at the time.

Technology at Work

Initially, it appeared that Pasalic had received the ball after a deflection from Portugal's Renato Veiga, which would have kept the goal valid. However, VAR concluded that Matanovic had made contact with the ball moments earlier, placing Pasalic in an offside position when the ball was played. FIFA confirmed that this critical touch was detected using the Connected Ball Technology integrated into the official Adidas Trionda match ball.

FIFA Media shared on X that the IMU sensors within the Trionda ball can detect even the slightest contact, providing officials with enhanced data to make quick and accurate decisions. Croatia had initially taken the lead through Ivan Perisic before Cristiano Ronaldo equalised, and Goncalo Ramos later scored the decisive goal for Portugal, sending them into the last 16.