FIFA is turning up the tech this year. At the Club World Cup, they’ll be introducing an all-new "advanced semi-automated offside technology"—a system that could prevent incidents as scary as the one involving Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi, who was left in an induced coma after an offside play was allowed to continue.
Awoniyi’s injury happened late in a match against Leicester City. Despite being clearly offside, play was allowed to go on. He chased the ball, collided hard with the post, and ended up with a serious abdominal injury that required emergency surgery. Luckily, the 27-year-old made a full recovery, but it was a chilling reminder of how dangerous delayed calls can be.
That’s exactly the kind of situation FIFA wants to avoid. The new offside system has already been tested successfully at the Intercontinental Cup and several youth-level competitions, and it's built to react fast in obvious offside scenarios. It sends a quick audio signal straight to the assistant referee’s earpiece when a player strays too far past the defensive line.
The technology works by tracking every player and the ball in real time, using a combination of sensors and AI to detect when someone’s clearly offside. Once the system catches it, the assistant can immediately raise the flag, cutting off the play before it becomes dangerous.
But here’s the catch—it won’t apply to close or borderline calls. In those cases, the usual VAR checks and human confirmation are still required. So no, this isn’t the end of the delayed flag that frustrates fans around the world. At least not yet.
This entire rollout is still part of a trial phase, with approval from IFAB, but it hasn’t been adopted across the board. Don’t expect to see it in the Premier League just yet.
What fans will see, though, is a fresh twist on VAR transparency. At this summer’s Club World Cup in the United States, stadium-goers will finally be able to watch live VAR reviews on the giant stadium screens. While you still won’t hear what the referee and VAR team are saying, you’ll be able to watch the same footage they’re looking at on the pitchside monitor—in real time.
That’s a big step forward. Most leagues only show a replay after a decision is made, leaving fans out of the loop. A few exceptions exist, like the Australian A-League, which has already been showing live replays during VAR checks. Now FIFA is catching up.
Still, it’s not perfect. Without the commentary between the officials, fans might not always understand why a decision was made. But it’s progress—slow and steady—toward more transparency in the game.
And there’s more. FIFA confirmed that referees in the tournament will be wearing body cameras—a first for top-level football. These cameras will feed footage directly to global broadcaster DAZN, giving fans and analysts a closer, more personal view of key moments from the referee’s perspective.
Pierluigi Collina, head of the FIFA Referees Committee, says this tournament is going to be special for more than just the action on the field.
“For the 117 match officials selected for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, this isn’t just another tournament. It’s their chance to be part of football history,” Collina said.
He believes these tech upgrades prove FIFA’s commitment to making the game safer, fairer, and easier to understand for everyone—from players and coaches to the fans in the stands.
“It’s about trust. When people understand why a call was made, they trust the system more. And that’s what we’re working toward,” he added.
So, as football gears up for another evolution, this summer’s Club World Cup could be a sneak peek at what the future of the game looks like—faster decisions, smarter tools, and a stronger connection between the pitch and the fans.