Football Video Support is coming to the Canadian Premier League.
The news, first reported by Josh Healey of HFX Football Post, comes days after the league confirmed it would be trialling a modified offside interpretation — understood to be Arsène Wenger's 'daylight' offside rule — for the 2026 season.
What is Football Video Support (FVS)?
The system works by giving each team two "challenges" per match. When a coach wishes to dispute a decision, they hand a card to the fourth official, who signals to the referee. The referee then reviews the play at a pitchside monitor — similar to VAR — analyzing multiple camera angles and speeds, assisted by a review operator.
If the challenge is successful and the decision is overturned, the team retains their card. If not, they lose it.
First implemented at the 2024 Blue Stars/FIFA Youth Cup and later trialled at the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile, FVS differs from VAR in one key respect — it puts the power in the hands of the coaches rather than off-field officials, meaning reviews are only triggered when a team actively chooses to use one.
That doesn't mean coaches can challenge everything, however, as each team only has a limit of two challenges per game, plus an additional challenge during extra time.
Introducing: Football Video Support 🎥
— FIFA (@FIFAcom) May 17, 2024
At the 74th FIFA Congress in Bangkok, FIFA Referees Committee Chairman Pierluigi Collina spoke about the success of trialling Football Video Support at the recent Blue Stars/FIFA Youth Cup™.
Find out how the system works: pic.twitter.com/rQoV5TktTY
How does this link to the new offside rule?
With the Canadian Premier League set to trial a new offside rule, the question of VAR — or some variant of it — has been part of the conversation from the outset, and the league has now moved to adopt Football Video Support as its answer.
The system, which uses a smaller budget and fewer cameras, will complement the new offside rule particularly well, as the 'daylight' interpretation requires a clear, visible gap between the attacker and the defender.
What this means for the clubs
CPL coaches have long been advocates of VAR, with Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis among the most vocal, saying: "[The CPL] needs VAR, 100%."
His call for its introduction came after a 2-1 home defeat to Atlético Ottawa in last year's playoffs, in which Forge were denied two potential penalties — exactly the kind of decisions a coach would now be able to challenge under the new system.
It will be the second trial the league undertakes in the same season, alongside the test run of Wenger's 'daylight' offside rule. The league has previously stated it is engaged in an "ongoing" relationship with FIFA, and that "innovation is a core value of the league."
When approached for comment, the Canadian Premier League did not confirm the news, stating that further updates related to the 2026 season would be provided later this month.
