Sixteen optical tracking cameras in each of 16 stadiums will produce over 150 million tracking data points per match at the FIFA World Cup 2026, according to FIFA. The governing body laid out its technology plans on 3 June 2026, eight days before the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States began on June 11.
FIFA’s director of innovation, Johannes Holzmüller, spoke at a virtual media round table from the International Broadcast Centre in Dallas. Art Hu, chief information officer at Lenovo, FIFA’s official technology partner, joined him.
Offside flags, faster
The biggest change is an advanced version of semi-automated offside technology, which FIFA says will be used at a World Cup for the first time. At the 2022 tournament the system fed information to the video assistant referee. Now clear offsides go straight to the officials on the pitch. “So, that means, instantly, the assistant referees can flag for positional offsides, allowing a much quicker decision,” Holzmüller said.
FIFA also says the speed cuts the injury risk for players in the gap between the offside and the raised flag. There is a limit. Holzmüller stressed that the upgraded system covers positional offside only. It will not rule on whether an offside player interfered with play without touching the ball.
Every participating player has been 3D-scanned, and the digital avatars feed into the system. That helps officials, and it changes what viewers see: broadcast 3D replays where, as Holzmüller put it, the players really look like the players.
Analysis for all 48 teams
Football AI Pro is a generative AI knowledge assistant that gives all 48 teams the same pre- and post-match analysis. Until now FIFA handed teams match reports running to 50 or 60 pages, which needed analysts to interpret. Holzmüller argued that not every team can afford a large analysis staff at a World Cup, and that equal access to the tool should spread the benefit more evenly.
Body cameras and tracking data
Referee body cameras made their debut at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, and FIFA said the trial exceeded expectations. Since then Lenovo has developed technology that reduces the motion blur caused by rapid movement, so the stabilised footage gives a clearer first-person view for global audiences.
The tracking data has other uses. FIFA can rebuild the whole match in 3D for the VAR, which helps in judging whether an attacker standing offside blocked the goalkeeper’s view. The data can also help officials decide whether the ball crossed the touchline in the build-up to a goal. Media partners can use it to show highlights or entire matches in 3D, and the same feed underpins the 3D recreations in Football AI Pro.
