The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to showcase the most advanced officiating technology ever used in a major sporting event. Combining high-resolution cameras, ball-mounted sensors, and full-body 3D scans of every player, the video assistant referee (VAR) system and semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) will provide referees with near-instantaneous, millimeter-accurate data to make critical calls. While human officials remain on the pitch, these tools aim to eliminate the kind of blown calls that can decide matches and frustrate fans.
The centerpiece of the upgrade is the creation of digital twins for all 1,300-plus players participating in the tournament. In the months leading up to the event, each athlete underwent a 360-degree high-resolution scan performed by Lenovo, FIFA's technology partner. These scans capture body shape, muscle tone, and even shoe size with an accuracy of 1 to 2 millimeters — far more precise than the generic avatars used in previous competitions. During a match, the Hawk-Eye optical tracking system tracks 29 skeletal points on each player 50 times per second. The digital twin is then mapped onto that skeletal data, allowing officials to drop a virtual copy of any player into a reconstructed simulation of the game. This simulation can determine, for example, whether a striker's toe was beyond the last defender at the exact moment the ball was played.
The ball itself is also instrumented with advanced sensors. Kinexon, a leader in sports wearables, provides the ball's digital brain: an ultrawide-band and inertial measurement unit (IMU) that includes both an accelerometer and a gyroscope. This sensor records the ball's position and any distinct touches 500 times per second — ten times faster than the video frame rate of 60 frames per second. The sensor is now vulcanized inside a small bladder placed along the interior wall of the ball, a more robust design than the string-based sling used in 2022. The entire setup weighs only 13 grams, but careful counterbalancing was required to prevent wobble. Impact testing ensured the sensor could withstand direct kicks.
The Evolution of VAR and SAOT
Video assistant referee systems have been used in soccer since 2018, but the semi-automated offside technology introduced in 2022 was a major step forward. For the 2026 tournament, the number of cameras has increased from 12 to 16, and the digital twin technology has been expanded. Prior versions were used only for goals and penalty kicks; now they will also help review red-card decisions and cases where an official accidentally penalizes the wrong player. Additionally, VAR can overturn corner kick decisions if the system detects the error quickly enough to alert the on-field referee via headset without delaying the game. For offside decisions that are obvious and promptly detectable, VAR now sends an immediate alert to sideline officials, stopping play right away. This differs from previous arrangements where play continued until a goal or penalty occurred, then the offside was checked retroactively.
One of the most intriguing new features is the "3D goalkeeper view." This visualizer can show the perspective of the goalkeeper and determine if an attacking player in an offside position interfered with the keeper's line of sight or movement. Such interference has long been illegal, but the complexity of the game made it nearly impossible to call accurately with the naked eye. By using the digital twin and ball-tracking data, officials can now see exactly whether the attacker's position affected the goalkeeper's ability to make a save.
How the Technology Works Under the Hood
Hawk-Eye remains the optical tracking provider for the tournament. Its computer vision system uses 16 high-resolution cameras positioned around the stadium to capture the entire field. Each camera feeds data into a central processing system that triangulates the position of every player and the ball. The ball sensors from Kinexon provide an independent stream of position data that is fused with the optical data to create a single, highly accurate picture. Any discrepancy between the two sources is resolved algorithmically, prioritizing the sensor data when the ball is moving at high speed or when players obstruct the cameras.
The digital twin technology requires enormous computing power. Lenovo's global chief innovation officer, Art Hu, notes that the real challenge is not scanning the players, but applying that static scan to dynamic gameplay. The system must account for the deformation of the body as a player runs, jumps, or slides. Machine learning models trained on thousands of hours of match footage help the system map the digital twin onto the skeletal pose data in real time. FIFA tested the setup at the 2025 Club World Cup and Intercontinental Cup, as well as various youth tournaments over the preceding 18 months. The results have been encouraging, with a significant reduction in the time needed to make offside calls and a marked increase in accuracy for marginal offside decisions.
FIFA's director of innovation, Johannes Holzmüller, says that the combination of 3D scans and high-frequency ball tracking supplements video footage to provide the most complete picture possible. In rare cases where an offside infraction (or non-infraction) occurs between video frames, the sensor data can fill the gap. Holzmüller acknowledges that these advances might only change a handful of calls throughout the entire 104-match tournament, but he insists that the cost and effort are justified. "We have to bring the best technology to the World Cup," he says. "That's our goal."
Beyond Officiating: Broader Applications of Digital Twins
The digital twin technology used in soccer has potential applications far beyond officiating. Lenovo envisions using the same scanning and simulation tools for athlete health and performance analysis. Coaches and trainers could study a digital twin's movement patterns to identify inefficiencies, predict injury risk, or optimize training regimens. The same approach could be applied to other sports — basketball, American football, rugby — where precise body positioning and timing are critical. As computing costs continue to drop and models become more powerful, the barriers to widespread adoption will shrink.
For now, however, the focus remains on the World Cup. The tournament is the biggest stage in sports, and FIFA wants to ensure that the best team wins fairly. The technology is not intended to replace referees but to empower them. Flesh-and-blood officials will still make the final decisions, using the data as a tool to correct obvious errors. The question of where the system's value lies — in catching big errors or in adjudicating tiny infractions of inches — is one that will continue to be debated. But for the players and fans watching at home, the knowledge that the technology is working behind the scenes provides a new level of confidence in the integrity of the game.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be played across 16 venues in three countries, with 48 teams competing in a new format. The advanced officiating system will be deployed at every match, ensuring that no matter where the game is played, the same high standard of accuracy is applied. While no system is perfect, the combination of cameras, sensors, and digital twins represents a giant leap forward in sports officiating — one that promises to eliminate the blown calls that have haunted the sport for decades.
Source: Ars Technica News