World football governing body labels move a “a significant development” in offside technology
Fifa will use artificial intelligence to implement automated offside calls during the 2026 World Cup in the Americas.
Lenovo, Fifa’s techonology partner, has been commissioned to make an AI-powered 3D avatar of every player, which will be used to track their movements during games and easily predict if they are offside or not.
Fifa said the move was “a significant development in semi-automated offside technology”.
“Players participating in the upcoming global showpiece will be digitally scanned to create a precise 3D model,” world football’s governing body said in a statement released jointly with Lenovo.
“Each scan takes approximately one second and captures highly accurate body-part dimensions, allowing the system to track players reliably during fast or obstructed movements.”
During the game, the technology will use multiple cameras around the stadium to track different body points on each player. The system will also be connected to the match ball, since offside calls require tracking the precise time the ball makes its last contact with a player in the attacking team.
The new technology was live-tested in the Intercontinental Cup game between Flamengo and Pyramids FC last year, an event regarded as a success.
While Fifa’s new technological developments may be welcome in major international competitions, they may not be adopted in club football, largely because they require significant resources which Fifa may be able to afford but not a majority of clubs.
