Los Angeles: Marc Cucurella’s goal disallowed in Spain vs Austria World Cup match

By Arjun Nair / 03.07.2026

By Arjun Nair — 2 July 2026 — 3 min read

A goal scored by Marc Cucurella for Spain against Austria in their FIFA World Cup 2026 round of 32 match in Los Angeles was disallowed, sparking debate. The incident occurred just before the half-hour mark when Cucurella found the net from a corner kick. However, referee Glenn Nyberg chalked off the goal, leading to confusion among fans in the stadium.

The decision was made after Nyberg determined there was a foul during the build-up to the goal. Replays indicated that Pau Cubarsi, a Spanish defender, collided with Austrian goalkeeper Alexander Schlager as Schlager attempted to punch the ball away. This contact was deemed a foul, violating a clause in the laws of football.

Understanding the Disallowed Goal

According to Rule 10.1 of the laws of football, as set by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), a goal is only scored if no offence has been committed by the team scoring the goal. Cubarsi’s contact with Schlager was judged to be an offence, providing sufficient reason for the referee and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) team to disallow the goal.

Reports suggest that the VAR review panel and the on-field referee made the final call, with the decision being supported by VAR. The incident has reportedly become a significant talking point, not just for what transpired on the pitch, but also concerning the role of VAR technology in such decisions.

Further analysis indicates that the goal was disallowed under FIFA Law 11, Section 2, which pertains to ‘interference with an opponent’. A Spanish player in an offside position was judged to have impacted the Austrian goalkeeper’s ability to make a save, even without touching the ball. This specific clause within FIFA’s offside law was cited as the reason for the disallowance.

Semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) flagged the offside position. The VAR team then assessed whether this offside position constituted ‘interference with an opponent’ under Law 11, Section 2, leading to the recommendation to disallow the goal. IFAB’s 2024–25 guidance notes broadened the definition of interference to include scenarios where an offside player’s proximity ‘prevents an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent’s line of vision or movement’.

Reactions and Broader Implications

The decision reportedly sparked considerable debate regarding consistency in officiating. Spanish coaching staff have questioned whether the offside player genuinely obstructed the goalkeeper’s line of sight, noting that Schlager appeared to dive in the correct direction. This suggests that the goalkeeper might not have been impeded, raising questions about the degree of interference.

The Spanish camp has also reportedly highlighted a different group-stage fixture earlier in the tournament where a similarly positioned offside player was allegedly not penalised, and the goal stood. This has led to arguments that if the same technology and rules produce different outcomes in comparable situations, the system may not be eliminating subjectivity but rather obscuring it.

The incident involving Cucurella’s disallowed goal is not isolated, as officiating controversies have reportedly marked the 2026 World Cup. The underlying frustration among multiple squads is said to be that while technology is more precise, the human judgment aspect remains contentious. This situation has led to discussions in coaching circles about the implications for set-piece goals in the knockout rounds, as any such goal could potentially be retroactively disallowed due to the position of a teammate who did not touch the ball.

Despite the initial reprieve for Austria, Spain managed to score shortly after, with Mikel Oyarzabal finding the net in the 36th minute.

Source: sportstar.thehindu.com