The most prominent new technologies used in the 2026 World Cup

The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) announced the adoption of a set of new technological innovations during the 2026 World Cup, which is being hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico during the period from June 11 to July 19, with the aim of enhancing the accuracy of refereeing decisions, developing performance analysis and improving the fan experience.

During a virtual media conference yesterday from the International Broadcast Center in Dallas, FIFA Innovation Director Johannes Holzmüller revealed the most prominent technologies that the tournament will witness, most notably the advanced semi-automated offside technology that will be used for the first time in the World Cup.

He explained that the new technology will allow clear offside cases to be sent directly to the arena referees instead of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) room, which will speed up the decision-making process on the field, while continuing to review discretionary cases related to interference in play.

He added that all players of the 48 participating teams will undergo 3D scanning operations to integrate their real and digital images into the system, which will enhance the accuracy of decisions and improve the quality of 3D television replays.

FIFA announced the launch of the “Football AI Pro” program, based on artificial intelligence, which will provide all participating teams equally advanced analysis tools, which will contribute to facilitating access to technical data and extracting the required information more quickly.

Holzmüller pointed to the development of referee cameras that were tested during the 2025 Club World Cup, which raises the quality of video footage and gives fans a clearer view of refereeing situations.

The tournament will also rely on 16 optical tracking cameras in each stadium, producing more than 150 million data points per match, allowing matches to be reconstructed in 3D technology, supporting video referees’ decisions, in addition to providing advanced content to media partners and enhancing the capabilities of the “Football AI Pro” program.