FIFA make major VAR change for World Cup hours before England vs Argentina

England are preparing for their mouth-watering World Cup semi-final against Argentina on Wednesday night, and FIFA have actioned a change to VAR that will impact both teams.

The Three Lions booked their place in the semi-final with a nail-biting 2-1 victory over Norway in the quarter-finals, as more Jude Bellingham heroics carried Tuchel's side over the finish line.

Bellingham cancelled out Andreas Schjelderup's 45th-minute opener and then struck in the third minute of extra time to send England into their fourth World Cup semi-final.

The 23-year-old was the star of the show once more at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, but unsurprisingly, it wasn't only the Real Madrid phenom who stole the headlines.

England - like several teams throughout this tournament - were on the receiving end of multiple controversial VAR calls.

Tuchel's men saw their penalty overturned by technology despite Djed Spence appearing to be brought down inside the box by a Norwegian defender.

In other matches, meanwhile, Egypt were disgusted with the treatment they received during their heartbreaking 3-2 defeat against Argentina.

They were denied a two-goal advantage when Mostafa Ziko's goal was ruled out, with officials determining that Lisandro Martinez had been fouled at the start of the passage of play.

The Egyptian FA released an angry statement to FIFA in the aftermath of that gut-wrenching loss, as the officials and VAR continue to be scrutinised for their decision-making.

In an attempt to combat the growing criticism, FIFA have placed VAR on-site for England's semi-final against Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday night.

VAR officials had been operating from a central hub at the International Broadcast Centre in Dallas, regardless of where each game was taking place.

READ MORE: How one of the worst debuts in football history stopped Lionel Messi from facing England

But this is a considerable shift from how the tournament's review system operates, and newly-deployed on-site officials will serve as a contingency measure should any communication or technical issues arise.

FIFA Organising Committee member explains VAR decision

American Ismail Elfath will take charge of England's crunch semi-final, with Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins as his assistants, and Maurizio Mariani as the fourth official.

Lionel Messi has interestingly never lost a game officiated by Elfath, but England will be hoping to end that record as they aim to reach their first World Cup final for 60 years.

Explaining the reason why VAR has been moved on-site for the closing games of the tournament, Owner of FC Dallas and FIFA World Cup Organising Committee member, Dan Hunt, said: "There's a lot of drama that unfolds in these games.

"And look, when you are asking only four officials to manage what's going on on the field, it's very difficult on a field that's much bigger than an American football field.

"I'm glad that there's gonna be on-site. I don't know what that communication's gonna look like."

Moving VAR closer to the action may not make a difference to how the technology operates, as they still have to get key decisions right in matches, something they've struggled with throughout the World Cup.

But FIFA had to be seen making a change to distract supporters from the heavy criticism they've faced, and hopefully, this improves the standard of officiating.