Argentina's dramatic 3-2 victory over Egypt in the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup did not go unnoticed by the United States's press. While Lionel Messi and Argentina were praised for another memorable performance, much of the attention focused on the controversial VAR decision that changed the course of the match.

U.S. Outlets Criticize Disallowed Egypt Goal

In a country where soccer is still growing compared to other major sports, several American media outlets were highly critical of what happened on Tuesday, July 7, at Atlanta Stadium, particularly the decision to rule out Mostafa Zico's 57th-minute goal.

"I thought I’d seen the worst of soccer’s contentious video assisted review technology, until Tuesday’s Argentina-Egypt World Cup round of 16 game, when, late in the second half, the baffling, deeply-unpopular replay doohickey was deployed to disallow a glorious, field-crossing, momentum-shifting Mostafa Ziko goal after determining Egypt had fouled Argentina…roughly 100 yards prior" reads the opening of a Wall Street Journal article titled "The World Cup’s Awful Instant Replay System Must Be Destroyed".

The performance of French referee François Letexier and his VAR team — Jerome Brisard, Willy Delajod and Bram Van Driessche — sparked debate on CBS and NBC, with analysts questioning what they described as "major inconsistencies in VAR and the way it is being used."

The goal was disallowed after officials ruled that Egypt's Marwan Attia had stepped on Argentina defender Lisandro Martínez during an earlier challenge near Egypt's corner of the field, far from the eventual finish by Zico. Egypt also appealed for a penalty after claiming Mohamed Salah had been fouled during the same sequence, but the call was not given.

The United States is accustomed to replay technology in its biggest sports leagues, such as the NFL and MLB, where precision and consistency are considered essential. However, the controversy surrounding the decision led critics to argue that it affected more than just Zico — it also took away a moment of celebration from the fans.

"It was not an infringement committed by Zico himself... It was more like a trip through time. It is no longer a safety net, but a device that steals the joy from the game," the Wall Street Journal wrote.

VAR Controversies Continue at the 2026 World Cup

The decision joins a growing list of VAR controversies at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including Josko Gvardiol's disallowed goal during Portugal's match against Croatia in the Round of 32. The Croatian defender's late strike was overturned after the "Snicko" sensor detected an infringement, denying Croatia a 2-2 equalizer that would have forced extra time.

During the group stage, Iran also had a goal ruled out, while Colombia saw a goal disallowed for offside against Portugal — two more examples of VAR decisions that sparked outrage and criticism beyond the teams directly involved.

VAR made its World Cup debut at Russia 2018, and since its introduction, the technology has remained one of soccer's most divisive topics. Supporters argue it improves accuracy, while critics say it has reduced the emotion of goal celebrations, interrupted the flow of matches, and added significant delays due to reviews and lengthy decision-making processes.

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