Can VAR Review a Second Yellow Card? The 2026/27 Rules

The rule in one paragraph

Yes — from 2026/27, VAR may intervene when the referee shows a clearly incorrect second yellow card that results in a red card. It cannot intervene just because a player should perhaps have received a second yellow but the referee never showed it.

The change adds a narrow safeguard against an unjust dismissal. It does not turn all cautions into ordinary VAR-reviewable decisions.

What changed in 2026/27?

For years, the VAR protocol covered direct red cards but excluded second cautions. That could create an awkward situation: a potentially mistaken direct sending-off could be reviewed while a clearly incorrect second yellow leading to the same dismissal could not.

IFAB’s 2026/27 amendments expressly allow a review when a second caution is clearly incorrect and produces a red card. The requirement to be clearly incorrect is important. Officials still need evidence that supports intervention rather than a merely debatable difference in judgment.

For other areas covered by the same update, read the full review-category guide.

A practical example

Imagine a player has already been cautioned. Later, the referee believes the player committed another offence and issues a second yellow followed by red. Replays clearly show that no offence occurred and that the booking was incorrect. The VAR can recommend a review, and the referee may cancel the second caution and resulting red card.

Now reverse the situation: a player who was already cautioned commits another potentially cautionable offence but the referee misses it and does not issue a second yellow. The new VAR provision does not authorise the video team to create a second booking for that unpunished offence. IFAB explains this distinction in its official questions and answers.

Other limits to keep in mind

The referee still makes the final decision. The new provision is about a wrong second caution that already produced a dismissal, not every caution in the match. It is also distinct from a review of a possible direct red card, where serious foul play or violent conduct can be considered under the usual red-card categories.

Misidentification is a different review category. The 2026/27 changes also allow the identity of an incorrectly sanctioned player to be reviewed in circumstances specified by the protocol. Do not confuse changing the responsible player with reviewing the underlying caution on its own.

To see how a referee receives and assesses the evidence, consult our check-versus-review guide and the explanation of the intervention threshold.

Common questions

Can VAR recommend a missed second yellow?

No. The expansion covers an incorrect second caution that was actually shown and resulted in a red card.

Can VAR cancel a correct second yellow just because it seems harsh?

No. The requirement is that the caution be clearly incorrect; disliking a disciplinary decision is not enough.

Is this rule compulsory in the current protocol?

The 2026/27 VAR protocol includes the power to review clearly incorrect second cautions, unlike the separately optional extension for wrongly awarded corners.