World Cup players to have lifelike ‘AI avatars’ for use in VAR offside decisions | World Cup 2026
Each player at this summer’s World Cup will have their own physically accurate “AI avatar” that will be used to make VAR decisions.
The innovation, which will involve every player being digitally scanned and leaves room for size to matter in future offside calls, was part of a package of technological measures announced by Fifa president Gianni Infantino during his opening speech at the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas.
Infantino described the upcoming World Cup, with 104 matches to be played in the United States, Canada and Mexico, as “the greatest spectacle ever put on planet Earth” and said the AI avatar would “guarantee” that more accurate offside decisions would be made.
“AI-enabled 3D avatars will ensure accurate identification and tracking of players,” Infantino said, describing it as “a big advancement in semi-automated offside technology providing great visuals, faster decisions and clear understanding by everyone.”
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Semi-Automatic 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 involves 30 cameras identifying the position of the ball and tracking “up to 10,000” data points on a player’s location, but the graphical models used to make a final decision do not correspond to a player’s actual height.
By adding personalized avatars, Fifa believes that the accuracy and speed of decision-making will be improved, with avatars allowing “the system to reliably track players during rapid or obstructed movements”.
Using player-specific dimensions will personalize offside decisions like never before. Fans may be wondering if the avatars will make 6-foot-5 Erling Haaland more likely to be caught offside than 5-foot-7 Lionel Messi.
According to Fifa, each player will be scanned before the World Cup to create a 3D model. He said each scan would take “about a second” and capture “very precise dimensions of body parts.” These models would then be used by VAR to calculate offside decisions via SAOT, and Fifa intends for the models to be integrated into television coverage so that decisions can be “displayed more realistically and in a more engaging manner for supporters in stadiums and television viewers around the world”.
As part of an expanded relationship between Fifa and its official technology partner, Chinese company Lenovo, a new data platform – Football AI Pro – was also announced which will be made available to all nations participating in the World Cup and which will “help level the playing field” between the wealthiest and least resourced nations “in an increasingly data-driven sport”. There will also be a World Cup edition of the Motorola Razr phone, a Lenovo brand.
Infantino said: “The FIFA World Cup in 2026 will be the biggest spectacle ever put on planet Earth. Seven million people will watch the 104 games – 104 Super Bowls – tens of millions of fans will travel to North America to feel the atmosphere of the FIFA World Cup, six billion people will watch it from home and the world will stand still.”
