Club World Cup: New automated offside technology to be trialled during Chelsea semi-final against Al Hilal

Limb-tracking technology will be trialled during Chelsea’s Club World Cup semi-final against Al Hilal.

FIFA are experimenting with the tech during the tournament in Abu Dhabi in a bid to see if it can improve offside decisions in the future.

It was already tested during the Arab Cup in 2021, with the Club World Cup becoming the latest event to try out the semi-automated offside system.

A dedicated camera system is installed under the roof of the stadium to capture the movement of the players and the ball.

It then makes a three-dimensional animated skeleton of each player to gain more precise views of incidents such as offside.

FIFA says entire matches can be watched as a virtual animation “with only a few seconds’ delay.”

The technology allows games to be analysed from the point of view of a specific player on the pitch.

The ability to watch replays from any angle will greater accuracy offside VAR decisions. While the technology could have a wider-reaching impact on gaming and the ways fans watch matches in the future, it’s impact on decision-making could be huge.

Johannes Holzmüller, FIFA’s Director of Football Technology & Innovation, said: “We strongly believe that access to this new data source can positively impact the game by optimising decision-making processes and increasing objectivity. However, we are only at the beginning of this development journey and possible use cases need to be tested thoroughly to assess the capabilities with a view to eventual implementation.”

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