- Fans see VAR as an improvement: Only nine percent of football fans are fundamentally opposed to VAR
- Analysis confirms this trend: Over 95 percent of VAR reviews are correct
- Fans are calling for clearer rules, faster decision-making, transparency, and better technology
At the end of the 2025/26 season, a representative survey of football fans conducted by the Tipico Sports Data Center & ONE8Y shows that a clear majority continues to support the use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in Germany.
In fact, 70 percent of respondents believe that VAR has a (very) positive impact on the fairness of matches. The majority are in favor of the video referee, either because they consider it indispensable or because they want to continue supporting it with improvements. 15 percent are still opposed, but recognize its potential. Only nine percent would prefer to do without video evidence entirely.
Data Proves: The Fans Are Right – VAR Makes Football Fairer
An analysis by the Tipico Sports Data Center using official referee data from the DFB shows: Fans are right, and VAR does indeed make football fairer. In the past Bundesliga season, there were 127 interventions by the video assistant referee. Of these, 121 interventions were correct, and only six were incorrect. In nine other situations, VAR should have intervened but did not.
These interventions break down as follows: 64 instances of goal or no goal, 53 instances of penalty kick or no penalty kick, nine instances of red card or no red card, and one instance of a player mix-up involving a personal punishment.
In the 2. Bundesliga, there were a total of 101 VAR interventions, 97 of which were correct and only four of which were incorrect. In addition, there were twelve instances where VAR did not intervene. The distribution of interventions in the second league is also similar to that in the first league.
VAR Interventions in the Bundesliga Last an Average of 96.7 Seconds
Equally interesting: The average duration of a VAR review in the Bundesliga (96.7 seconds) was slightly shorter than in the 2. Bundesliga (99 seconds). According to fan opinion, this is precisely where one of the greatest opportunities for improvement lies: 45 percent of respondents would like to see faster decision-making by the referee and VAR team. In addition, fans are calling for clearer intervention rules (51 percent), greater transparency (45 percent), and better technical solutions (42 percent).
About the ONE8Y Survey
The survey was conducted by the sports business and research consultancy ONE8Y on behalf of the Tipico Sports Data Center following the final matchday of the Bundesliga in May 2026. The survey included n=1,784 football fans aged 14 to 69, selected to be representative of the general population in terms of age, gender, and region. For more information, visit www.one8y-db.com.
The Tipico Sports Data Center
The Tipico Sports Data Center continuously analyzes current and historical performance data. This includes tens of thousands of data points on sports competitions, teams, and players. Based on this, Tipico’s data experts calculate, among other things, the probabilities for the most important events in the upcoming matches of a Bundesliga matchday: final scores, number and timing of goals, goal scorers, and much more. Additionally, the Tipico Sports Data Center incorporates fan sentiment. This combination yields unique, data-driven insights into upcoming sporting events.
