Projects /
Sport
Offside calls in seconds, not minutes
How limb tracking and a connected ball cut average offside checks from 70 seconds to 25 in trials, before semi-automated offside went live at Qatar 2022.
Client
FIFA
Sector
Sport
Services
Data and AI, technology trials, partner management
Delivered
Limb-tracking trials, semi-automated offside, 3D replays for fans
The outcome
25s
average offside check
Average checks in trials fell from 70 seconds to 25 seconds.
<1%
offside errors
Offside errors fell to under 1%, down from 15%.
29
points tracked per player
Roof cameras tracked up to 29 body points 50 times a second, linked to a sensor in the ball.
The Challenge
VAR made offside decisions more accurate, but slower. Lines were drawn by hand while players and fans waited and every delay chipped away at trust in the result. FIFA needed decisions that were both precise and fast and a way to show fans in the stadium and at home why they were right.
WHY IT MATTERS: INDUSTRY DATA
<
1
%
Offside errors
Down from 15%
18
:1
Camera reduction
18 cameras down to 1
25
sec
Average offside check
Down from 70 seconds in trials
What we did
1
Tracked every limb
Cameras under the stadium roof tracked up to 29 points on each player’s body, 50 times a second, building a moving skeleton of every player.
2
Connected the ball
A sensor inside the ball sent data 500 times a second, so the exact moment of the kick was known, not estimated.
3
Tested before trusting it
We trialled the system at the FIFA Arab Cup 2021 and the Club World Cup in February 2022, with a dedicated assistant VAR, before it was used at a World Cup.
What happened next
Semi-automated offside was used at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, with 3D animations showing fans each decision. By the 2026 World Cup each stadium had 16 tracking cameras, every player was 3D-scanned for an accurate avatar and clear offsides went straight to the on-field officials.
