Dallas, June 4 (WAM) - The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) announced the adoption of a set of new technological innovations during the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19. This is aimed at enhancing refereeing accuracy, developing performance analysis and improving fan experience.

Johannes Holzmüller, FIFA’s innovation manager, revealed during a virtual press conference yesterday from the International Broadcasting Center in Dallas, the most prominent technologies that will be witnessed by the tournament, including the advanced semi-automated offside technology which will be used for the first time in the World Cup.

He explained that the new technology will enable sending clear offside cases directly to on-field referees instead of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) room. This speeds up decision-making on the pitch while continuing to review discretionary cases related to interference with play.

He added that all players from the 48 participating teams will undergo three-dimensional scans to integrate their real and digital images into the system, which enhances decision accuracy and improves 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 with advanced analysis tools equally. This contributes to facilitating access to technical data and extracting required information more quickly.

Holzmüller noted that the development of referees’ cameras tested during the 2025 Club World Cup enhances the quality of footage and gives fans a clearer view of refereeing cases.

The championship will also rely on 16 visual tracking cameras in each stadium, producing more than 150 million data points per match, allowing for the reconstruction of matches in 3D technology, supporting video referee decisions, providing advanced content to media partners and enhancing the capabilities of the "Football AI Pro" program.