FIFA World Cup 2022 to Introduce Semi-Automated Offside Technology

FIFA has today announced that a new semi-automated offside technology will be introduced at the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar starting on 21 November, offering an automated offside alert to the team of video and on-field match officials.

Following the successful use of VAR technology at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, FIFA President Gianni Infantino had announced that FIFA would strive to harness the full potential of technology and further enhance VAR.

By working with Adidas and various partners, and especially with the Working Group for Innovation Excellence and technology providers, FIFA has spent the last few years further improving the VAR system, including the use of semi-automated offside technology.

The new technology uses 12 dedicated tracking cameras mounted underneath the roof of the stadium to track the ball and up to 29 data points of each individual player, 50 times per second, calculating their exact position on the pitch. The 29 collected data points include all limbs and extremities that are relevant for making offside calls.

Al Rihla, adidas’ official match ball for Qatar 2022™, will provide a further vital element for the detection of tight offside incidents.

The workflow of semi-automated offside technology and the connected ball technology have been successfully trialled at numerous test events and live at FIFA tournaments, including the FIFA Arab Cup 2021 and the FIFA Club World Cup 2021.