# Was VAR right to overturn England penalty?

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/was-var-right-to-overturn-england-penalty/
- Published: 2026-07-11T23:46:41+00:00
- Updated: 2026-07-12T01:15:02+00:00
- Original publisher: BBC Sport (publisher lean: Centre)
- Original article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/videos/c3dyj7j48v9o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
- Topics: Sport, UK, World

## Key points

- England's penalty against Norway overturned by VAR in Miami.
- Djed Spence judged to have initiated contact with Oscar Bobb.
- Decision came in the first half of extra time.

## Summary

England had a penalty overturned by the video assistant referee (VAR) during their FIFA World Cup 2026 fixture against Norway in Miami. The spot-kick had initially been awarded following contact between England's Djed Spence and Norway's Oscar Bobb, but the on-field decision was reversed after a VAR review determined that Spence had initiated the contact, prompting debate over whether the intervention was correct.

The incident occurred during the first half of extra time, indicating the match was finely balanced and had progressed beyond 90 minutes. The tie forms part of England's run in the tournament, with the team scheduled to feature in the World Cup semi-final, shown live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Wednesday 15 July at 19:00 BST. The BBC coverage of the decision includes video analysis assessing the merits of the VAR call.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.