Key facts
- The 2026 World Cup will employ advanced technology, including digital twins of players, to aid referees.
- Each player has been 3D body scanned to create a digital twin matching their physical dimensions.
- This system uses computer vision and sensors to determine player positions with high precision.
- The technology aims to reduce subjective calls and correct errors in real-time.
- VAR will now send immediate alerts for obvious offside decisions to sideline officials.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will introduce a suite of advanced technologies to assist referees, aiming to eliminate subjective errors in officiating. This includes enhanced video assistant referee (VAR) systems and semi-automated offside technology (SAOT), building upon previous iterations with significant upgrades.
Central to the new setup is the use of 'digital twins' for every player. These are created through 360-degree, high-resolution 3D body scans, capturing precise details like height, limb length, and shoe size with accuracy down to 1-2 millimeters. These digital twins will be integrated into the Hawk-Eye computer vision system, replacing generic avatars and allowing officials to determine a player's exact position relative to the ball, lines, and other players in virtual simulations.
Optical tracking will be provided by Hawk-Eye, utilizing 16 high-resolution cameras to capture over two dozen skeletal points on each player. This data is combined with advanced sensors within the match ball, supplied by Kinexon. The ball's sensors, including ultrawide-band, accelerometer, and gyroscope, track its location and touches 500 times per second. The sensor placement has been improved for stability compared to previous models.
These combined systems are designed to capture every nuance of the game. The digital twin technology, previously used for goal and penalty reviews, will now also assist in reviewing red-card penalties and mistaken identity calls. FIFA aims to use this technology to correct even marginal infractions, such as a player being offside by a single toe, by providing objective data to officials.
In an effort to reduce review times, VAR will now send immediate alerts to sideline officials for obvious offside decisions, stopping play instantly. This differs from previous methods where play might continue until a significant event occurred. While the technology offers greater precision, human referees remain involved, with technology serving to correct clear errors and provide objective truths.