&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "World Cup first: VAR makes 'mistaken identity' history in bizarre booking incident during USA's 4-1 win over Paraguay")
The United States kicked off their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign in style with a commanding 4-1 victory over Paraguay, but the match will also be remembered for a historic VAR intervention that left players, fans, and commentators baffled. With the USMNT cruising to a comfortable lead in their Group D opener at SoFi Stadium, an unusual sequence of events unfolded that resulted in a World Cup first under FIFA's newly introduced laws.
Veteran defender Tim Ream appeared to foul Miguel Almiron and was immediately shown a yellow card by Dutch referee Danny Makkelie. However, after Paraguay had already taken the resulting free-kick, the match was suddenly halted following communication from the video assistant referee. Makkelie was sent to the pitchside monitor and, after reviewing the incident, overturned his original decision. Rather than cautioning Ream, the referee rescinded the yellow card and instead booked Almiron for simulation after determining that the Paraguay forward had dived.
The incident marked the first-ever World Cup VAR intervention for mistaken identity, made possible by a new FIFA regulation introduced ahead of the tournament. Under the updated rule, if a player is cautioned or sent off for an incident that was actually committed by an opposing player, officials are now permitted to review and correct the decision. While yellow cards themselves are generally not reviewable, the mistaken identity provision allowed the referee to reverse the booking.
The confusion was heightened because play had already restarted before the review took place. Traditionally, once the game resumes, previous decisions cannot be revisited, making the intervention even more unusual. Former Everton and Wales defender Ashley Williams, speaking to BBC Sport, added: "They let them take the free-kick, which was bizarre but clearly the right decision. "It's the first time we have seen it but fair play."
Former England midfielder Danny Murphy, who was co-commentating for BBC Sport, added: “Any adaptation of the rules which means diving gets more punishment is good.” While the VAR drama dominated discussion, the United States delivered an outstanding performance on the pitch. An own goal from Damian Bobadilla helped the hosts establish control before Folarin Balogun scored twice to give Mauricio Pochettino's side a commanding 3-0 lead at halftime. Balogun's brace made him only the second American player to score more than once in a World Cup match.
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Paraguay reduced the deficit through Mauricio in the second half, but Giovanni Reyna produced a spectacular finish with the final kick of the game, curling a stunning effort into the net from 20 yards out to seal a memorable 4-1 victory. The result gives the United States a perfect start to their World Cup journey, but the unprecedented VAR intervention ensured the match made history for more reasons than one.
