The 2026 FIFA World Cup (USA/Canada/Mexico) is the first edition featuring 48 teams divided into 16 groups of 3, making every group-stage result critically important for qualification. VAR is fully operational under official FIFA protocols. This market concerns only formal, documented protests filed through FIFA's official disciplinary channels, not media controversies, viral moments, or verbal complaints, no matter how widely reported.

Resolution Criteria, YES

The market resolves YES if and only if every single one of the following conditions is simultaneously met:

A national football association (FA), not an individual player, coach, or club, submits a formal written protest document to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee

The submission occurs within the official FIFA deadline for protests (currently 24 hours post-match under FIFA Disciplinary Code Art. 59; if FIFA updates this rule before the tournament, the updated deadline applies)

The protest document explicitly and primarily cites a refereeing or VAR decision as the grounds, including but not limited to: disallowed goals, offside calls, penalty decisions, red or yellow cards, or failure of VAR to intervene

The match in question is a group-stage fixture of the 2026 FIFA World Cup (matchday 1, 2, or 3 of any of the 16 groups)

FIFA's receipt of the protest is publicly confirmed via at least one of the accepted sources listed below

Resolution Criteria, NO

The market resolves NO if any of the following is true:

The only record of dissatisfaction is a verbal statement, press conference, interview, or broadcast comment, from any party, regardless of how strongly worded

A federation announces intent to protest but no confirmed filing is documented within the deadline

A formal protest is filed but does not cite refereeing or VAR as the primary reason (e.g. player eligibility, field conditions, scheduling)

A formal protest is filed citing VAR/refereeing but relates to a knockout-stage match (Round of 32 or beyond)

A protest is filed but FIFA denies receiving it and no independent documentation confirms the filing

No qualifying event is confirmed within 7 days of the final group-stage match (June 2026, exact date TBD) through accepted sources

Resolution Criteria, N/A

The market resolves N/A exclusively in these scenarios:

The 2026 World Cup group stage is officially cancelled or abandoned before completion by FIFA (force majeure, security crisis, or equivalent)

FIFA officially suspends or removes VAR from the tournament before or during the group stage, making a VAR-specific protest structurally impossible

A protest is credibly reported but all accepted sources remain silent or contradictory after 30 days from the end of the group stage, making YES/NO resolution impossible with reasonable confidence

N/A will not be used to avoid a difficult judgment call if sufficient evidence exists to support either YES or NO.

Accepted Resolution Sources

To count toward YES resolution, evidence must come from at least two independent sources from the following list:

Official FIFA press releases or disciplinary notices published on fifa.com

Official statement published on the protesting federation's own website or verified social media account

Wire service reporting (Reuters, Associated Press, AFP) that explicitly states a formal written protest was filed, not merely that a team is "furious" or "considering action"

The following are explicitly insufficient for YES resolution, regardless of reach or credibility:

Single-source reporting without corroboration

Social media posts from journalists, players, or officials

Tabloid or fan media coverage

Statements attributed to unnamed or anonymous sources

Resolution Timeline

This market resolves YES or NO no later than 30 days after the last group-stage match of the 2026 World Cup

If a qualifying event is confirmed before that deadline, the market resolves as soon as two accepted sources corroborate it

If the 30-day window passes without confirmation, the market resolves NO by default, unless N/A conditions apply