Given that the use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) has become ubiquitous in professional soccer, it might be surprising to fans that the final round of World Cup qualifying matches in the CONCACAF region does not feature video review.
VAR helps to address clear and obvious errors or serious missed incidents by match officials, using video replays to get decisions right. U.S. national team head coach Gregg Berhalter was outspoken about his disappointment in the absence of VAR from CONCACAF World Cup qualifying, which assigns three automatic berths to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
"I think it's an error by CONCACAF," Berhalter said prior to the USA's first match in qualifying. "I'm going to speak freely and say that because that's part of the game. I think it was great that they implemented VAR in Nations League and Gold Cup, and it's disappointing that it's not part of qualifying. That's where the modern game is going. We want to be right up there with the rest of the world, our region, in terms of the quality and the technology. And we need to find a way to get that done."
STANDINGS: Updated CONCACAF qualifying table, results & highlights
