Measuring between the lines
How FIFA’s use of AI in offside technology could affect referees
Artificial intelligence could play a bigger role in offside calls at the 2026 World Cup, as FIFA’s technology partner Lenovo plans to generate 3D avatars of every player to better track movement during matches.
Adam Rachek, a soccer fan and former player who represented the South Shore in a regional selection tournament in Montreal, said offside calls may be one of the areas where AI can work effectively.
“I think artificial intelligence can do it really well," Rachek said. "If you train it properly with data that isn’t complicated, it will easily be able to determine whether there is an offside or not.”
Because offside decisions are largely factual, based on the position of players at a specific moment, Rachek believes the technology could make those calls more consistent.
However, he said that applying AI to other refereeing decisions would be much more complicated.
“Each referee sees things in their own way,” Rachek said. “Some referees will call an error at certain moments, while others won’t call it. It really depends on the referee’s interpretation.”
Rachek pointed to handball decisions as an example of the subjectivity of certain calls. Some referees might consider contact with the hand accidental, while others may see it as an error. Because of those differences, he said AI could struggle to interpret such situations.
He also expressed concern that referees might become too dependent on technology.
“Referees might rely too much on artificial intelligence rather than on their own judgment,” Rachek said.
While he expects the system could speed up decisions during matches, Rachek believes it will not eliminate controversies surrounding refereeing.
“Artificial intelligence will save time, but the problems will remain the same,” Rachek said.
Others in the soccer community see the technology as a tool that could help support referees rather than replace them.
Emily Douris-Blondin, a soccer player on the women's team and a coach at Concordia University’s Stingers Academy, said offside calls are often difficult for referees to make in real time.
“It’s very difficult. You have two lines on each side and the refs in the middle,” Douris-Blondin said. “They can’t always see everything. They’re obviously vulnerable to human error.”
Douris-Blondin said the technology could help speed up decisions and make the game fairer for both teams.
“A lot of the time, even as viewers watch games, we think something is offside, but it doesn't get called,” she said. “It’s nice to have technology like that to make sure the game ends up being fair for everyone.”
Still, Douris-Blondin emphasized that referees should remain central to decision-making.
“I don’t think it should take away the job of referees,” she said. “But it will definitely help their jobs, especially when they can review things better.”
Douris-Blondin compared the potential of AI to the introduction of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system, which allows officials to review key decisions during matches. She said similar technologies have already improved accuracy in professional soccer.
While some fans may initially resist the charge, she expects attitudes to shift over time.
Douris-Blondin also suggested that adopting new technologies could help address concerns about fairness and transparency in international soccer.
“There’s obviously a lot of controversy around FIFA,” she said. “This technology could help hold referees accountable, because now you have the cameras and the technology to prove if the calls are true or not.”
Dexter Great, who played on the men’s team that won first place in the Tampa Cup Top Rated Series, said the introduction of AI could affect referee’s work.
“The use of AI will definitely change the way referees make decisions during the match,” Great said.
He noted that while some players and fans remain skeptical of technology, AI could still bring benefits to the sport as it is “unbiased.”
Ultimately, it remains to be seen exactly how AI will impact professional sports in the long term.
This article originally appeared in Volume 46, Issue 11, published March 17, 2026.
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