[Photo Credit: OFC]

The Video Assistant Referees (VAR) testing in Fiji by the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) last week was a success.

The trial was conducted during the final weekend of the OFC Women’s Nations Cup in Fiji, and the successful signal transmission tests between HFC Bank Stadium in Suva and the OFC Academy in Auckland is a significant step toward the introduction of VAR at Oceania competitions.

This is part of OFC’s plan to implement a centralized VAR model.

VAR Project Manager Mihaly Fabian says the objective was to understand the speed of transmission under the pressure of a seven-camera setup and one programme feed at a broadcast quality of 1080i50.

He says they were able to successfully deliver all feeds smoothly, with almost zero packet loss, and maintain high-quality voice communication between the stadium and the Academy.

Fabian said the successful test in Fiji provides a promising outlook for other potential host countries such as the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.

The tests simulated a VAR Operating Room in Auckland and a referee team at HFC Stadium in Suva.

The results showed minimal latency in both voice and video feeds, well within FIFA’s recommended guidelines. This milestone is a critical step in the rollout of VAR for the inaugural OFC Professional League, scheduled to launch in January 2026.

Given the Professional League’s circuit-based format across multiple OFC Member Associations, a centralised VAR hub is seen as the most efficient solution, similar to the “bunker” model used in Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL), which operates out of Sydney.

The next phase of testing is planned for the Solomon Islands during the OFC U-16 Men’s Championship next month, subject to partner availability and funding.

Akuila

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