If you’re watching the World Cup this summer, you might see something new during instant replays: a video-game-like 3D model of a player, frozen mid-stride, showing exactly where his foot was when the ball was kicked. That's not fun graphics. According to FIFA and Lenovo's announcement ahead of the tournament, every player has been digitally scanned to create an accurate 3D model that will be used in the new AI-enabled offside system. For American fans watching a World Cup on home soil for the first time in decades, here’s a breakdown of the tech that’s about to change how the beautiful game is officiated.
Meet your digital twin
Every player sat through a quick body scan before the tournament started. Each scan takes about a second and, according to FIFA and Lenovo, it makes highly accurate measurements of body parts, allowing the system to track players reliably even when they are moving fast or are partially blocked from view.
Why is this important? The old system was based on generic one-size-fits-all player outlines to judge close offside calls. Now the outline is what the actual human being on the pitch looks like, right down to their exact build and proportions. Lenovo's global CIO, Art Hu, put it simply: no two footballers have the same physique, so each player's exact dimensions are now factored into the call.
