Rule applied for the first time in history » Not even the US soccer players

On the occasion of the World Cup, FIFA decided to implement a new set of measures that can be taken with the help of VAR. The first of them was applied in Los Angeles, in the USA – Paraguay match (3-1).

The “mistaken identity” rule, applied for the first time at WC 2026

What happened? In the 53rd minute, Miguel Almiron, the Paraguayan winger, had an action in the lane, being stopped by defender Tim Ream. Dutch referee Danny Makkelie deemed the duel to be irregular, called a foul and awarded Ream a yellow card.

The Paraguayans took the free-kick poorly, then Danny Makkelie suddenly stopped the game. He was called from the VAR room, where the Spaniard Carlos del Cerro Grande was. And on the giant screen at SoFi Stadium and on the TV broadcast, the message appeared “VAR Review: Mistaken Identity”.

Makkelie rewatched the duel between Ream and Almiron and ruled that the Paraguayan player had faked. Thus, he canceled the yellow card for the American player. It was the first time in history that VAR was used to overturn a yellow card. Until now, the video referee could only intervene in red card phases.

The moment created confusion

According to FIFA, “possible identification error occurs when a player receives a yellow or red card for a foul committed by another player.”

But the situation created confusion for fans. Both among those in the stadium, who were trying to understand why the game was stopped and Makkelie was called to VAR, and among the viewers, who commented on the moment on the Internet:

• “Hey, what does 'mistaken identity VAR check' mean?”

• “I don't understand. Is this a new rule? How was it a case of mistaken identity?”

• “For years I've wondered why FIFA doesn't retroactively revoke wrongly received yellow cards, but to call it 'mistaken identity' is funny.”

• “I understand what happened, but it's not a misidentification. An umpire's decision was overturned.”