FIFA is planning to take semi-automated offside technology to the next level by scanning every player at the 2026 World Cup to create AI-enabled 3D avatars.
With all 48 teams set to name 26-man squads for the expanded tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico, it means digital scans will have to be created for 1,248 footballers ahead of next summer.
Each player will step into a scanning chamber for a process that takes just one second and will only need to be completed once during the pre-tournament photo shoot.
FIFA’s technology partner Lenovo will carry out the scans, in a move described by world football’s governing body as ‘a significant development in semi-automated offside technology’.
According to FIFA, the scan will help match officials ‘track players reliably during fast or obstructed movements’ and offer a more ‘realistic and engaging’ way of showing VAR decisions.
‘Players participating in the upcoming global showpiece will be digitally scanned to create a precise 3D model,’ a statement released by FIFA on Wednesday explained.
FIFA, led by Gianni Infantino (above), is planning to take semi-automated offside technology to the next level by scanning every player at the 2026 World Cup to create AI-enabled 3D avatars
It means digital scans will have to be created for 1,248 footballers ahead of next summer
‘Each scan takes approximately one second and captures highly accurate body-part dimensions, allowing the system to track players reliably during fast or obstructed movements.
‘The 3D models will be incorporated into the host broadcast, enabling offside decisions determined by the video assistant referee (VAR) system to be displayed more realistically and in a more engaging way to fans at stadiums and to viewers around the world.’
The advanced technology was trialled at the Intercontinental Cup last month, with FIFA labelling the test a success after ‘demonstrating a capability and readiness to support the match officials at the World Cup’.
For the trial, all players of Flamengo and Pyramids FC were scanned before the game.
Semi-automated offsides were used at the last men’s World Cup in Qatar 2022, and subsequently at the women’s 2023 tournament in Australia.
The system automates important aspects of VAR’s decision-making process for close offside calls, while also improving the speed at which officials can make decisions.
