FIFA Will Create AI-Powered Offside Avatars by Scanning 2026 World Cup Players
Every 2026 World Cup player will have their AI avatars scanned by FIFA to improve offside calls.
FIFA plans to enhance semi-automated offside technology by developing AI-enabled 3D avatars of each player at the 2026 World Cup. Digital scans will be performed on 1,248 players from the 26-man squads of the 48 competing teams.
The pre-tournament photo shoot will involve each athlete entering a chamber for a one-second scan. In order to produce more accurate offside determinations, FIFA claims that the scan “captures highly accurate body-part dimensions.”
According to the organization, referees will be able to “track players reliably during fast or obstructed movements” thanks to this technology, and final decisions will be “displayed more realistically and in a more engaging way.”
The Premier League was embroiled in controversy earlier this season when a Newcastle goal against Manchester City was upheld. The semi-automated offside graphic did not match the television picture, and it looked like Ruben Dias was jumping. FIFA expects that precise player scans will stop these disparities and enhance the way fans see offside rulings.
In order to test the technology, Flamengo and Pyramids FC players were scanned prior to their December match during FIFA’s Intercontinental Cup. Additionally, FIFA said last month that it is testing new algorithms that can determine whether the ball leaves play before a goal and creating “real-time 3D recreation” to help with line-of-sight offside determinations.
