June 3 – The much-loathed delayed offside flag could soon be a thing of the past, with FIFA unveiling a sweeping suite of new officiating technologies set to debut at the 2026 World Cup.
The headline upgrade is advanced semi-automated offside detection. A real-time audio alert will notify the assistant referee if a player is more than 10cm offside, allowing them to raise the flag immediately rather than wait for a passage of play to develop. Previous versions tested at the Club World Cup and Intercontinental Cup only triggered alerts at distances greater than 50cm.
The final decision remains with the assistant referee, who can keep the flag down if they suspect a malfunction. FIFA insists multiple fail safes are built into the system. Limitations remain that the technology still cannot resolve with the tightest offsides, struggles when players are grounded or clustered, and is not applicable to subjective calls involving interference without touching the ball.
FIFA has also confirmed life-like, AI-enabled 3D avatars for every player at the tournament. All 1,248 players across the 48 teams’ 26-man squads will undergo a one-second scan during their pre-tournament photo shoot, generating the data needed for clearer, more accurate offside animations.
Ball-tracking technology is also being expanded. A 3D goal-line-style animation will determine whether the ball crossed the byline before a goal, a direct response to Aston Villa’s disallowed effort against Brentford in February. The chip embedded in the ball will also identify the last player to touch it, allowing VAR to verify corner kick decisions under new powers.
Finally, ‘Real-time 3D Recreation’ is being extended to address ‘line-of-sight’ offside calls. Virtual feeds replicating both goalkeepers’ perspectives will be available to VAR and TV viewers, giving officials a sharper tool to resolve incidents where the goalkeeper’s view may have been obstructed.
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