New semi-automated offside technology to be used at the 2022 World Cup

3D animation to communicate offside situations at 2022 World Cup

FIFA World Cup begins in November

Qatar to host 2022 FIFA World Cup

FIFA has announced that semi-automated offside technology will be used to detect offside in the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

FIFA explained on their website that the tool will help referees and match officials make "accurate and reproducible" offside decisions faster.

"...support tool for the video match officials and the on-field officials to help them make faster, more accurate, and more reproducible offside decisions on the biggest stage of all."

The new tool is said to be part of FIFA's vision of using technology to improve the Video Assist Referee system, which debuted at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

"Following the successful use of VAR technology at the 2018 FIFA World Cup™ in Russia, FIFA President Gianni Infantino declared in The Vision 2020-23 that FIFA would strive to harness the full potential of technology in football and further enhance VAR. In the ensuing three years, FIFA has indeed continued to be at the cutting edge of technology in the game."

In terms of semi-automatic offside technology, 12 tracking cameras will be installed in the stadium to track 29 data points of each player 50 times per second to determine the players' movement and position.

A sensor will also be placed in the centre of the ball, sending data 500 times per second to help determine when the ball was kicked.

The semi-automatic offside technology will generate an offside alert and send it to video officials for review.

Once a decision is confirmed by the on-pitch referee and VAR, 3D animation, similar to goal-line technology, will be shown on stadium screens for fans and television viewers.

BREAKING: FIFA have confirmed that new semi-automated offside technology will be used at the 2022 Qatar World Cup. pic.twitter.com/sHcjpTqv4T

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) July 1, 2022