FIFA To Use Semi-Automated Offside Technology At 2022 Qatar World Cup

FIFA have confirmed that new semi-automated offside technology will be used at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

A support tool for the video match officials and the on-field officials to help them make faster, more accurate & more reproducible offside decisions.

How It Works.

10 cameras are placed alongside the stadium’s roof. Cameras and other sensors on the pitch track 29 data points per player 50 times per second. It provides an accurate position of players’ limbs about the offside line in real-time.

The cameras and sensors are combined with AI technology that watches and analyses the game in real-time and is ultra-fast. Video assistant referees receive a near-instant alert to whether the technology determines a player is onside or not and immediately relayed to the referee.

This is important because the average VAR decision takes roughly 70 seconds to process while this system takes half a second to reach a decision and the referee is notified within seconds. This will keep the game moving and eliminate human error.