VAR and the Corner That Should Have Been a Goal Kick
A clearly wrong corner kick can now be corrected by VAR, but only if the competition has opted in, only if it happens immediately, and only in one direction.
A corner kick was not a reviewable decision at all.
A clearly incorrect corner kick may be corrected where the competition has adopted the option and the change costs no delay.
What changed
The protocol adds a reviewable item: a clearly incorrectly awarded corner kick, if the decision can be changed immediately and without delaying the restart. It is a competition option rather than part of every VAR match, and it is the one reviewable item the protocol's own principles carve out.
Why it matters
Read the wording for what it does not say. It covers a corner that should not have been given, so a corner can become a goal kick. It says nothing about a goal kick that should have been a corner, so that stays uncorrectable. And immediately means immediately: a team that knows the corner was wrong and takes it quickly puts it beyond review. The opt-in is now a real question with a real answer: the Premier League has said in its own words that this is one of the new Laws that will not be seen in 2026/27, and no competition regulations we hold name the option for the World Cup or the Champions League either. Which competitions took it, with each answer quoted from that competition's own document, is on /competitions.
Scenarios
A corner given off the attacker's own foot
Replays show the last touch was the attacker's, and the referee has awarded a corner. Nobody has moved to take it.
A goal kick that should have been a corner
The last touch was clearly the defender's and the referee has given a goal kick.
Law text: The IFAB, Laws of the Game 2026/27. theifab.com