FIFA has added a new layer of offside technology for the 2026 World Cup, with assistant referees set to receive real-time audio alerts when an attacker is clearly beyond the defensive line.
The upgraded system will alert the assistant referee if a player is more than 10cm offside, allowing the flag to go up immediately in clearer cases rather than forcing play to continue until the attacking move is over.
The change is aimed at reducing one of the most unpopular parts of the VAR era: the delayed flag. Since the introduction of video review, assistant referees have often been instructed to keep the flag down in close attacking moves, especially when a goalscoring chance may develop. The idea was to avoid wrongly stopping a legitimate attack before VAR could check the offside line.
That process, however, has produced awkward and sometimes dangerous passages of play. Players have continued sprinting, challenging, shooting or sliding into tackles despite the possibility that the move was already dead. The new technology is designed to cut that delay in clearer offside cases.
How the new system works
The upgraded semi-automated system uses multiple tracking cameras, artificial intelligence, and sensor data from the ball to estimate the attacker’s position relative to the defensive line. FIFA’s semi-automated offside technology works by tracking players and the ball, then generating offside information for match officials and visual recreations for decision-making and broadcast explanations.
The crucial change is where the alert goes. Instead of the information only being sent to the video assistant referee, the new system can send an audio alert directly to the assistant referee on the pitch. In those cases, the assistant referee can immediately raise the flag.
Previous versions tested by FIFA had a wider margin, with alerts reportedly triggered when a player was around 50cm offside. The new 10cm offside threshold makes the system sharper and brings it closer to real-time intervention for clearer decisions.
This does not mean VAR is being removed from the offside decisions. Marginal calls, crowded situations and subjective offside cases will still require validation. FIFA tested an enhanced offside system at the Club World Cup, using AI, cameras and ball sensors to speed up decisions, while still keeping VAR involved for complex incidents.
The technology will be especially useful for positional offside. That means cases where the question is mainly whether the player was ahead of the last defender when the ball was played. It will not automatically solve more subjective questions, such as whether an offside player interfered with play, blocked the goalkeeper’s view, challenged an opponent or became active without touching the ball.
FIFA is also expected to use more advanced 3D player modelling at the 2026 World Cup. Players are set to be scanned to create accurate AI-generated avatars, which can help improve offside visuals and give fans clearer explanations when decisions are shown on broadcasts.
The 2026 World Cup, to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, is expected to be one of the most technologically advanced editions of the tournament. The expanded competition will feature 48 teams, increasing the number of matches and placing further pressure on officiating systems to deliver quicker and more consistent calls.
For fans, the biggest visible change could be simple: fewer long, pointless attacks after an obvious offside. For referees, the system offers faster support. For VAR, it removes some of the simpler checks while leaving the difficult ones in human hands.
The delayed flag may not disappear completely, but FIFA’s new system is designed to make it far less common when the offside call is clear.
