• An automated system to evaluate whether a player is offside or not has been introduced by FIFA.
• 12 high-tech tracking cameras are set up in and around stadiums (together with a sensor embedded in the ball).
• Data collected from both online and offline testing was analysed and confirmed by the MIT Sports Lab.

An automated system to evaluate whether a player is offside or not has been introduced, as announced by the international soccer governing body.

That regulation, for those who aren’t familiar with it, stipulates that an attacking player must be closer to the goal than the ball and the second-closest defending player.

Basically, if the goalkeeper is the only player between you and the net and you don’t have possession of the ball, you’re offside.

An offside call can be made if even a player’s knee is half an inch closer to the goal than their opponent, which can regularly disrupt play and be difficult to see.

Twelve high-tech tracking cameras are set up in and around the stadiums (together with a sensor embedded in the ball) so that FIFA can monitor the whereabouts of both the players and the ball.

Numerous test events and live FIFA tournaments, such as the FIFA Arab Cup 2021TM and the FIFA Club World Cup 2021TM, have proven the semi-automated offside technology workflow and connected ball technology to be effective.

Data collected from both online and offline testing was analysed and confirmed by the MIT Sports Lab, while TRACK at Victoria University provided scientific verification of the limb-tracking technology.

To further our understanding of the technical capabilities of such multi-camera tracking systems, a research team from ETH Zurich is giving new information.

The potential advantages of this new approach are clear even if soccer isn’t your thing. Relying on human referees to examine film frame by frame can slow down games and also introduces the possibility of arbitrary verdicts.

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