Atlanta Hawks 64:96 Memphis Grizzlies 
Cangrejeros 78:95 Criollos de Caguas 
Leones De Ponce 98:92 San German 
Miami Heat 90:99 Toronto Raptors 
Denver Nuggets 108:101 Portland Trail Blazers 
Auckland Tuatara 108:91 Manawatu Jets 
Cairns W 82:68 Rockhampton W 
Sutherland Sharks W 74:60 Penrith P. W 
Bendigo Braves W 58:112 Keilor Thunder W 
Eltham W 93:83 Kilsyth W 
Knox W 78:59 Hobart Chargers W 
Sandringham W 86:73 Northern Tasmania W 
Slovakia U20 71:72 Estonia U20 
Armenia U20 74:57 Albania U20 
Macau Black Bears 124:149 Converge FiberXers 
Ivory Coast U17 W 51:66 Colombia U17 W 
Cairns Marlins 116:91 Rockhampton Rockets 
Sutherland Sharks 104:55 Penrith P. 
Woodville Warriors 79:90 Central Districts Lions 
Australia U17 W 70:64 Japan U17 W 
Perth Redbacks W 53:92 Mandurah Magic W 
Perry Lakes Hawks W 80:91 Cockburn Cougars W 
South West Slammers W 50:88 Kalamunda Eastern Suns W 
Bendigo Braves 69:93 Keilor Thunder 
Eltham 94:76 Kilsyth 
Knox 121:86 Hobart Chargers 
Sandringham Sabres 130:80 Northern Tasmania 
Sweden U20 71:62 Luxembourg U20 
Blackwater Bossing 89:81 Magnolia Hotshots 
North Macedonia U20 97:62 Georgia U20 
Uefa has made a big change to how video assistant referees (VARs) handle potential diving. The organization told its officials that they should not use VAR to check if a player faked an injury or foul (simulation) when they are reviewing cases of mistaken identity. This is a different approach from what was seen at the 2026 World Cup.
What Exactly Is Changing?
Under the new instructions, VARs will only look at whether the referee punished the wrong player for a foul. They will ignore whether the player who was fouled actually dived or exaggerated contact. This means if a player is wrongly sent off, the VAR can correct it—but only if the foul itself was real, not if it was a dive.
- VARs will not review simulation during mistaken identity checks.
- The 2026 World Cup allowed VAR to consider diving in those cases.
- Uefa wants to keep the focus on fair play and avoid slowing the game.
Why Uefa Made This Decision
Uefa believes that letting VAR judge diving in mistaken identity situations would cause too many delays and confusion. Officials want to keep the game flowing and let on-field referees decide whether a player is exaggerating. By limiting VAR’s role, Uefa hopes to reduce arguments and keep matches moving.
Critics say this could let divers get away with faking fouls, especially if the referee makes a mistake on the player’s identity. But Uefa insists that the priority is correcting obvious errors in who committed the foul, not re-refereeing the whole play.
What This Means for Players and Fans
For players, this change means they can’t rely on VAR to punish diving during a mistaken identity review. If a player dives and gets another teammate in trouble, the VAR might correct the identity but won’t penalize the dive. Fans might see more debates about whether a player is cheating, but the game will likely have fewer stoppages for video reviews.
Overall, Uefa is drawing a clear line: VAR is for fixing clear mistakes, not for judging every little bit of acting on the field. The 2026 World Cup used a broader approach, but Europe is sticking with a stricter, more limited use of technology.