OFFICIAL: Premier League announces major VAR changes ahead of the 2026/27 season

The Premier League will make public the evaluations of the independent board on referee and VAR decisions each week, as part of an effort to enhance transparency ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.

The Premier League confirmed that the conclusions of the Key Match Incidents (KMI) Panel will be widely published on a weekly basis starting from the new season. This is seen as a notable change in how the league explains and assesses controversial decisions made by referees and VAR.

The KMI Panel consists of five members and was established in the 2022/23 season. This group is tasked with reviewing key incidents in matches, then voting on whether the on-field referee and VAR decisions were correct or not.

Previously, the assessment results were mainly sent to clubs and referees. The detailed opinions of the panel were not fully disclosed to the public. From the 2026/27 season, that will change. The Premier League stated that the goal is to create "complete transparency regarding the evaluation of decisions made by the officiating team."

Not only will the KMI panel's conclusions be made public, but the Premier League will also, for the first time, directly share notable exchanges between on-field referees and VAR through the Premier League Match Centre account.

In selected matches, fans will also have the opportunity to access in-game audio captured from cameras mounted on referees. This move could help spectators better understand the refereeing decision-making process, especially regarding situations involving goals, penalties, red cards, or offside calls that often generate debate.

The Premier League also stated that it will continue to collaborate with the Professional Game Match Officials Board to lobby IFAB, the organization responsible for the Laws of the Game, to allow more referee communications to be broadcast live during matches.

VAR and refereeing have long been among the most contentious issues in the Premier League. Therefore, the weekly publication of independent assessments is expected to help the league better explain sensitive decisions, rather than leaving fans and clubs to wait for unofficial responses.

The 2026/27 Premier League season will kick off on Friday, with reigning champions Arsenal facing newly promoted Coventry City.