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    Tech shines at Qatar FIFA WC 2022 with football sensors, AI, player analytics

    Synopsis

    Tech was a key attraction at the FIFA WC 2022-Qatar chapter.

    fifa wc qatar canvaAgencies
    Footballs with sensors, customised performance analytics for football team members, semi-automated refereeing ... FIFA World Cup 2022 at Qatar was a paradise for gadget freaks.
    The FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar is perhaps the most “high-tech” tournament in recent times. The football governing body has upped the ante to ensure that the right calls are made, players are supported, and fans enjoy the spectacle with the aid of technology.

    Kick-off

    The ball with sensors: didas has made a brand-new ball, called Al Rihla (the journey, in Arabic), which comes with an inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor that aids in making tight offside calls. The sensor is placed at the centre of the ball. Adidas and FIFA say the sensor can send data to the video operation room at the rate of 500 times a second and helps in detecting the precise kick point.

    VAR and some more

    Video Assistant Referee (VAR) has seen its fair share of controversies in football. FIFA has gone a step further by using a new semi-automated offside technology. The stadiums in Qatar have 12 tracking cameras underneath the roof that can track “up to 29 data points of each individual player, 50 times per second, calculating their exact position on the pitch.” The data points include all limbs and extremities that will help in making right offside calls.

    The use of AI

    FIFA is relying heavily on artificial intelligence (AI) to make sure that the technology gets the calls right. Video match officials inside the video operation room will be notified whenever the ball is received by an attacker in an offside position when the ball is played by a team-mate.

    App for players

    IFA has a special app for players which gives data metrics that are captured by its performance analysts. Players can know data points such as the distance covered by them on the pitch through multiple cameras deployed in stadiums. A series of algorithms and models are being used to integrate the tracking data. Players will get detailed analyses, including receiving locations of the ball on the pitch, and the pressure applied to the player in possession of the ball.

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