2026 World Cup to Use Semi-Automated Offside Technology

The 2026 World Cup will be the first edition of the tournament to feature semi-automated offside technology. Twelve cameras will track player movement at a rate of fifty stills per second and assess whether an attacker is beyond the second-to-last defender.

If the system determines an attacker is clearly offside by more than ten centimeters, it will send an automated voice message stating "offside, offside, offside" to the assistant referee's earpiece. When the gap is smaller or off-ball movement complicates the call, the system will say "delay" or provide no message.

How the System Works Assistant referees must still allow play to continue when the situation is inconclusive. The automated messages reach only the assistant referees, who remain in constant contact with the referee throughout the match. One assistant referee who used the system during last summer's Club World Cup said the technology does not turn the role into an autopilot position.

The official stated that the system is not perfect and that the job stays exactly the same. The same official noted that the system waits until the offside-position player touches the ball before making a decision. This allows the assistant referee to relay information to the referee before another decision is required.

Background on the Officiating Team The technology will be used by an all-Canadian officiating crew that includes the referee and two assistant referees. The group has worked together at the 2024 Olympics and last summer's Club World Cup in addition to regular club matches.

One member of the crew began officiating at age twelve and became a professional referee by 2012. The same official also works matches in Major League Soccer.