No more delayed flag? Fifa adds new offside tech for World Cup
Summary
Fifa will use new technology at the 2026 World Cup to help referees make faster and more accurate offside decisions. The system includes a real-time alert for offsides closer than 10cm and 3D digital avatars of players for clearer visuals.Key Facts
- Fifa is introducing semi-automated offside technology for video assistant referees (VAR) at the 2026 World Cup.
- The technology alerts assistants immediately if a player is offside by more than 10cm.
- Officials still decide when to stop play and can ignore the alert if needed.
- The system cannot detect if a player interferes without touching the ball, only position-based offsides.
- Each of the 1,248 players will be scanned to create AI-powered 3D avatars used for clearer offside replays.
- New technology will also show if the ball crossed out of bounds before a goal using a chip in the ball.
- ‘Line-of-sight’ technology will help VAR decide if a goalkeeper’s view was blocked during offside calls.
- The aim is to reduce delays, errors, and player injuries caused by late offside flags.
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