Offsides and VAR live. Innovations will be tested at the Club World Cup

From June 15 to June 13, the Club World Cup will take place — a competition among the strongest representatives of six continental confederations.

32 teams will compete for the title at 12 stadiums in 11 cities across the USA. Renowned journalist Ben Jacobs reported that several innovations will be introduced at the upcoming tournament:

1. Referees will receive chest cameras, and their decisions will be shown in live broadcasts.
2. Images from VAR will be broadcast on the stadium scoreboard.
3. An improved semi-automated system will detect offsides thanks to a ball equipped with a sensor.
4. Artificial intelligence from Hawk-Eye will provide real-time data collection on players.
5. Substitutions will be made via tablets — no paper cards.

FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström shared his thoughts on these innovations: “FIFA takes pride in its history of breakthroughs at elite tournaments, and the FIFA Club World Cup will continue this trend. As the best clubs compete for the title of world champions, it is quite fitting that these innovative changes will be presented at such a prestigious tournament,” the official reported.