FIFA to introduce new offside technology at World Cup

FIFA is set to introduce an upgraded semi-automated offside technology at the 2026 World Cup to help referees make faster and more accurate decisions, eliminating the frustration of delayed flag-raising by linesmen .

The new system will send a real-time audio alert directly to the assistant referee's earpiece if a player is more than 10 centimetres offside . The official will remain in charge of when to raise the flag and stop play, but the technology will allow them to act much quicker than before .

Previously, linesmen were instructed to keep their flags down until a passage of play ended to avoid incorrectly disallowing a goal, leading to needless prolonged action and even injuries . In May 2025, Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi was placed in an induced coma after colliding with a post while waiting for a delayed offside flag .

The upgraded system is a significant improvement from the version tested at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which only notified officials when a player was more than 50 centimetres offside . FIFA has also confirmed that lifelike, AI-enabled 3D avatars of all 1,248 players from the 48 teams will be created to make more accurate decisions . Each player will be digitally scanned during their pre-tournament photo shoot, a process that takes just seconds .

However, the technology has limitations. It cannot detect the closest offsides where margins are extremely fine, nor can it interpret subjective calls such as whether a player has interfered with an opponent without touching the ball . Those decisions will remain with the officiating team .

FIFA has also approved technology to determine if the ball went out of play before a goal was scored, using a chip in the ball to indicate which player touched it last . A new 'line of sight' angle will also be available to VAR to help determine whether a player is obstructing the goalkeeper's view .

The 23rd FIFA World Cup will be held from June 11 to July 19 across the United States, Canada and Mexico, with 48 teams participating for the first time . Defending champions Argentina will begin their campaign against Algeria on June 17.