FIFA, the international governing body of association football, has revealed that for the 2022 World Cup, AI-powered cameras would assist referees in making offside calls.
The semi-automated technology includes a sensor in the ball that sends its location on the field 500 times per second, as well as 12 tracking cameras positioned beneath stadium roofs that utilise machine learning to track 29 spots on players’ bodies.
When players commit offside offences (that is, when they are closer to the other team’s goal than their second-last opponent and receive the ball), the software will combine this data to provide automated notifications. Alerts will be relayed to officials in a nearby control room, who will authenticate the decision and inform the referees on the field of the call.
