La Liga’s 2025-26 VAR Overhaul: Could Spain’s Radical Second Division Rule Shake Up Football Forever?

The Spanish soccer scene erupted this past Friday as the curtain rose on a fresh La Liga season, spotlighting Rayo Vallecano’s gritty 3-1 triumph over Girona and Villarreal’s tidy 2-0 victory against Real Oviedo. Anticipation is building with Barcelona gearing up for their debut on Saturday and the powerhouse Real Madrid stepping onto the pitch come Tuesday. But what’s truly gripping this year isn’t just the on-field action—it’s the seismic shift in VAR operations shaking things up across the league. Enter VAR-PRO: a dedicated squad of 15 referees whose sole mission is to oversee video assistant referee duties on matchdays, marking a bold new chapter in officiating strategy. This overhaul means no more juggling roles week-to-week for referees, but instead, a focus on refinement and expertise that’s bound to influence the flow and fairness of the game in both La Liga and the second division. Intrigued? Dive deeper into all these compelling changes and what they mean for the beautiful game LEARN MORE .

This Friday marked the official kickoff of the Spanish soccer season with two matches: Rayo Vallecano defeated Girona 3-1, and Villarreal secured a 2-0 win over Real Oviedo. With Barcelona set to debut on Saturday and Real Madrid taking the field on Tuesday, La Liga begins the new campaign with a significant overhaul in its approach to VAR.

The most notable change is the creation of VAR-PRO—a specialized team of referees dedicated solely to video assistant referee duties for each matchday. This represents a major shift in how referees are assigned to La Liga games.

Previously, a referee in Spain could be designated as the on-field official for one match and serve as the VAR official the following week. Starting this season, referees assigned to VAR duties will focus exclusively on that role, with the aim of building greater specialization and improving overall performance.

VAR-PRO will consist of 15 referees who will be assigned to matches in both La Liga and Spain’s second division. In addition, a separate group of VAR analysts will evaluate the performance of these 15 officials and determine their assignments for upcoming fixtures based on those assessments.

Referee Alejandro Quintero González gestures for a VAR review during the LaLiga match between RCD Mallorca and RCD Espanyol.

Updated VAR criteria in La Liga

Beyond the introduction of VAR-PRO, there will also be a shift in how VAR decisions are made. According to Sport, the Referees’ Technical Committee (CTA) believes VAR has been intervening too frequently in recent La Liga matches.

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The new objective is to ensure that VAR only intervenes in cases of “clear, obvious, and manifest errors,” with Sport reporting that the system should now act “as a safety net and not as a filter for every play that occurs during matches.” The hope is that this adjustment will reduce the number of stoppages and help the game flow more smoothly.

Major innovation in Spain’s second division

Alongside these changes in La Liga, a groundbreaking trial will be introduced in Spain’s second division that could eventually make its way to the top flight. The system, known as Football Video Support (FVS), shares a similar philosophy with tennis’s Hawk-Eye technology.

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Until now, the use of video technology in soccer has been entirely referee-driven—meaning only the officials can initiate a review. FVS changes that by allowing teams to actively request reviews.

This season, coaches in Spain’s second division will be allowed two review requests per match for key situations such as goals, penalty decisions, or red cards. If the referee reviews the play and agrees with the coach’s challenge, the team retains that review opportunity for future use during the same match.