Every player this summer World Cup will have its own physically accurate “AI avatar” that will be used in VAR decision-making.
The innovation, which involves a digital scan of every player and leaves the possibility of player size making a difference in future offside calls, was part of a package of technological measures announced by FIFA President Gianni Infantino when he delivered a keynote address at the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas.
Infantino described the upcoming World Cup, which will see 104 matches played in the US, Canada and Mexico, as “the greatest spectacle in the history of planet Earth” and said an AI avatar would “enable” more accurate offside decisions.
“AI-enabled 3D avatars will enable accurate player identification and tracking,” Infantino said, describing it as “a major advancement in semi-automated offside technology, delivering stunning visuals, faster decisions and clearer understanding for everyone.”
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Semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) is an extension of VAR protocols that automates key elements of the offside decision-making process for the video assistant referee. In the Premier League, SAOT uses 30 cameras to detect the position of the ball and track “up to 10,000” data points on players' locations, but the graphical models used to make the final decision do not correspond to the actual size of the player.
FIFA believes that the addition of personalized avatars will improve accuracy and speed of decision-making, as avatars will allow “the system to reliably track players during fast or difficult movements.”
The use of player-specific parameters will allow offside decisions to be personalized like never before. Fans may wonder whether the avatars will make the 6ft 5in Erling Haaland more likely to be called offside than the 5ft 7in Lionel Messi.
According to FIFA, each player will be scanned to create a 3D model before the World Cup. It says each scan will take “approximately one second” and will capture “highly accurate measurements of body parts.” These models will then be used by VAR when calculating offside decisions via SAOT, and FIFA intends to include these models in TV broadcasts so decisions can be “displayed more realistically and more attractively to fans in stadiums and spectators around the world.”
Also part of the expanded relationship between FIFA and its official technology partner, China's Lenovo, a new data platform, Football AI Pro, was announced, which will be available to all countries at the World Cup and will “help level the playing field” between better and less resourced countries “in an increasingly data-driven sport.” A World Cup version of the Lenovo-branded Motorola Razr phone will also be released.
Infantino said: “The 2026 World Cup will be the greatest spectacle in the history of planet Earth. Seven million people will attend 104 games – 104 Super Bowls – tens of millions of fans will travel to North America to experience the World Cup, six billion people will watch from home and the world will stand still.”
