Technology is playing a major role at the Qatar World Cup. Not only is it helping officials make critical calls, but it will keep spectators safe and fans engaged, no matter where in the world they’re located.
Here’s a breakdown of all the technology powering the World Cup:
The 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar begins on November 21 with many new technological innovations to improve the soccer experience for both fans and players.
Al Rihla Match Ball
Photo Credit: Adidas
As the official match ball of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar, Al Rihla is one of the most important technological innovations of the tournament. Inside the ball is the Adidas Suspension System which includes a 500Hz inertial measurement unit motion sensor that sends out data 500 times per second. The sensor provides unprecedented insight into every element of the movement of the ball and is powered by a rechargeable battery. The technology is unnoticeable for players and does not affect the balls’ performance.
The balls’ data assists in detecting unclear touches to improve the quality and speed of VAR (Video Assistant Referees) decision-making and semi-automated offside technology. As Dr. Maximilian Schmidt, the Global Sports Lead at KINEXON, explained, “…our goal with Adidas is to use state-of-the-art technology to improve the experience for everyone involved without changing the game of football. We are confident that with accurate live ball data the connected ball technology will enable a new age of football analytics and fan experience.”
Semi-Automated Offside Technology
Photo Credit: FIFA
Every soccer fan is well aware of the offside rule. The rule has changed numerous times throughout history, is subjective by nature, and has determined the outcome of many matches. To enable video and on-field match officials to make faster, more accurate, and more reproducible offside decisions, Qatar 2022 is implementing semi-automated offside technology.
The technology uses twelve dedicated cameras mounted underneath the stadiums’ roofs to track the ball and up to 29 data points of each player, 50 times per second. The 29 collected data points include all limbs and extremities relevant for offside calls. Additionally, as aforementioned, Al Rihla collects data 500 times per second to allow for precise detection of the kick point.
Using artificial intelligence, the limb- and ball-tracking data provides an automated offside alert to the video match officials whenever an attacker is in an offside position when a ball is played by a teammate. Video match officials must manually check the data, and the referee on the pitch must confirm the decision. The positional data points used to make the decision is generated into a 3D animation that is shown on the stadiums’ screens and made available to FIFA’s broadcast partners to further explain the call.
FIFA Player App
Photo Credit: FIFA
For the first time, players in the 2022 FIFA World Cup will have access to a FIFA Player App. Developed based on input from professional players, the app gives players insights into their on-field and player performance data shortly after each match.
The FIFA Player App includes enhanced data and intelligence metrics captured by a team of expert FIFA performance analysts and tracking data. This takes into account whether a player moved to receive the ball, the pressure they applied to an opponent, receiving locations, and more.
The app also consists of physical performance metrics collected through in-stadium tracking. For example, the app displays the distance covered at various speed thresholds, the number of actions over 25 km/h (about 15 miles per hour), and the maximum speed.
Bonocle and Feelix Palm
Photo Credit: Bonocle
To enable visually-impaired fans to enjoy the 2022 FIFI World Cup, Bonocle and Feelix Palm are used. Bonocle is the world’s first Braille entertainment platform. By using transcoding functionalities and Bluetooth technologies, individuals with visual impairments can experience the excitement of the World Cup just like everyone else.
As Boncole’s founders described, “Bonocle will enable the blind community all over the world to experience the World Cup in 2022 in new ways that were never available before…It will remove the barriers that have kept blind people restricted and open doors for them to explore new things and new places.”
Feelix Palm, a palm communicator with tactile features, will also be used in Qatar. By using electric impulses, Feelix Palm offers braille-like messages to the visually impaired without restricting their physical movement or hearing.
Advanced Stadium Cooling Technology
As for a sustainable technology innovation, seven of the eight stadiums of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar feature advanced cooling technology to keep the stadium at about 68° F, an ideal temperature for players and fans. Estimated to be 40 percent more sustainable and energy-efficient as compared to conventional cooling techniques, the cooling system uses a combination of insulation and targeted cooling to cool only places where people are.
Dr. Saud Abdulaziz Abdul Ghani, now nicknamed Dr. Cool, is the mastermind behind this immense task. He explained, “The biggest thing working against you when you’re trying to cool a stadium is the opening of the stadium’s roof because that is where external hot air enters. That’s why studying where air can exit and how we can push and pull back air differs from stadium to stadium as it depends on its shape, height, and width.”
To adjust to this challenge, the stadiums are designed for cooled air to come through in grills in the stands and large nozzles on the pitch. Through an air circulation technique, warm air is sucked into the stadium’s cooling system, cleaned by water, re-cooled, filtered out, and pumped out again by the jets. This also purifies the air.
Further ensuring fans’ comfort, under-seat diffusers push air out at an angle to deliver it gently. Additionally, sensors around the stadium will keep the temperature constant and adjust air flows for seats in the shade or sun.
Al Rihla, which means “the voyage” in Arabic, will be used as the official world cup ball for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar kicks off today. The event which holds once in four years is arguably the most anticipated sporting event in the world for spectators, participants and host countries.
However, this special edition could be revolutionary for fans of the sport, as they are set to be entertained and greeted with several technologies which could define the future of the sport going forward.
For the first time also, all eight venues of the competition are located within an hour’s distance from each other, making it a first-of-its-kind compact World Cup.
While all of these things make the FIFA World Cup in Qatar an event “not to be missed,” there is one element that makes this edition of the competition even more unique: Technological innovations.
This read affords you 6 technological infusions and innovations that could change the future of the game, impressing players, fans, and more in the process.
At the event in Qatar, FIFA will provide worldwide TV, the online audience, the participating teams and their players with the most up-to-date insights, measurements, and performance data in tournament history.
The expanded football intelligence service, created by the FIFA High-Performance team under the direction of Arsène Wenger, FIFA Chief of Global Football Development, will provide fresh and intriguing analytics to enhance the coverage and analysis of each game during the competition.
“We would like to share our vision of using football data analytics combined with technical expert interpretation to create a new football intelligence, allowing everyone to better understand the game”
Arsene Wenger, FIFA Chief of Global Football Development
Every game will feature a different set of in-game and post-game improved football intelligence visuals that are presented as augmented reality and conventional graphics. These enhanced statistics give operational definitions, several video examples, and precise breakdowns of every aspect of the game. They also explicitly explain each action.
Arsene Wenger
According to Wenger, “Enhanced football intelligence will be our blueprint for how we analyse football in the future. When we discover new insights, we want to share them with the world of football.
With our online FIFA Training Centre, we have a fantastic vehicle to do so. My team will continue to provide new and insightful football analysis content to help share new understanding of the game combined with performance data, video examples and technical explanations.”
FIFA will be able to use this data to do developmental analysis to better understand what it takes to go from junior to senior level in both the men’s and women’s sports, as well as longitudinal post-match analysis to understand how the game is evolving over time.
Al Rihla
Al Rihla, which means “the voyage” in Arabic, will be used as the official world cup ball for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Al Rihla – Official 2022 FIFA World Cup ball
Al Rihla, the official match ball for the 2022 World Cup, is an innovative product. It has an inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor that can identify tight offside events as part of the Adidas Suspension System.
The match ball features a connected ball technology which will relay real-time data to VAR officials.
The kick point may be identified with extreme precision thanks to this sensor, which is located in the centre of the ball and feeds ball data to the video operation room 500 times per second.
This is the first time ever that a World Cup match ball will feature this technology.
FIFA Player App
Another technology that is set to excite the players, is the new FIFA player app dedicated to helping the players access their match data after every football match.
FIFA Player App
The FIFA Player App, created in accordance with the FIFA President’s Vision 2020–2023 will allow players at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar to gain insights about their on-field performance. The app aims to use technology to enhance soccer.
In partnership with FIFPRO, the world’s leading representative of professional footballers, it incorporates feedback from players who play professionally. At the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the FIFA Player App will be utilized for the first time.
Advanced Stadium Cooling Tech
Advanced cooling tech for stadiums
Some of the most cutting-edge stadiums will be used during the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Seven of the eight venues for the 2022 World Cup feature Advanced Cooling Tech, a ground-breaking innovation that will maintain a cool environment inside the venue. The temperature inside the stadium will be ideal for both the players and the spectators.
A pipeline will transport cooled water to the stadium from an energy centre located close by. When it does, chilly air is forced onto the playing field and sitting sections for spectators. It is the first of its kind in a World Cup tournament.
Due to its proximity to the seaside and natural ventilation, the only stadium (Stadium 974) without advanced cooling technology is naturally ventilated and does not require cooling. The stadium is the first-ever fully demountable stadium in the history of World Cups. and might not be around after it.
Stadium 974, one of the 8 stadiums to host matches in the FIFA 2022 World Cup
Steel modular frameworks and shipping containers were used to erect the stadium. Since less materials were utilized than in a traditional stadium, the stadium’s design ensures economic effectiveness while also making it aesthetically pleasing.
Stadium 974 will play host to seven World Cup matches, up to the Round-of-16 stage.
Semi-automated Offside Technology
Before the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), offside calls were hugely debated in the football community.
Video Assistant Referees (VAR)
However, the introduction of VAR has only sparked more debates regarding its accuracy and speed and specific game-related blunders by officials.
During the 2022 World Cup, there will be technological advancements on the field to improve VAR’s accuracy in making offside calls. A semi-automated offside system will be used during the World Cup in Qatar, FIFA has previously announced.
The referees will use this as a support tool to make precise, quick, and repeatable offside rulings throughout the competition.
Twelve tracking cameras will be installed around the stadium as part of the new technology, in addition to a sensor inside the new Al Rihla ball. Every time the ball is played to a player who is in an offside position, this technology will automatically tell the Video Assistant Referee that the player is offside.
To judge whether a player is offside or not, lengthy VAR replays won’t be required.
Doha Tech Hub
With more than 1.2 million World Cup attendees anticipated, Qatar has established a digital centre that makes use of artificial intelligence to monitor the spectators, foresee crowd swells, and even regulate stadium temperature.
Doha Aspire Command and Control Centre
At the Aspire Command and Control Center, more than 100 technicians will be on duty around-the-clock, closely monitoring images that flash across their displays via 200,000 integrated units from 22,000 security cameras scattered throughout all eight World Cup stadiums.
Facial recognition technology will enable the crew to zoom in on every face in the stadiums, providing assistance to experts from cybersecurity, anti-terrorism, and transport systems stationed at the centre, along with Qatari and FIFA officials.
“With one click you can shift from one stadium to [another] stadium, because we have everything integrated through our centralised platform, in terms of facility management, security, health and safety, and ICT [information and communications technology] operations,”
Hamad Ahmed al-Mohannadi, the centre’s director
Also, It is from here that they can operate entry gates, ensure there is running water and keep the air conditioners humming smoothly.
More than 5,300 contactless-enabled payment terminals will make FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 the most payment-enabled FIFA tournament ever.
As the world awaits kick-off of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Visa, the Official Payment Technology Partner of FIFA, has readied a payments network that will enable contactless purchases throughout all official venues, including eight stadiums and the FIFA Fan Festival.
With more than one million fans expected to travel to Qatar for the tournament, Visa has installed 5,300 contactless-enabled payment terminals at official FIFA venues, making FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 the most payment-enabled FIFA tournament ever.
Visa will also trial new payment innovations to give fans easy access to simple and secure digital ways to pay.
The FIFA World Cup provides a global stage for Visa to showcase and test new technologies, enhance the fan experience and leave a lasting impression on the host country.
Visa will bring a number of digital payment solutions to Qatar, including several limited pilots to demonstrate how future Visa payment solutions may come to life:
· Pay with Your Face: Marking the first-time it will be used for payments in Qatar, facial recognition technology is a collaboration between Qatar National Bank (QNB) and POP ID and supported by Visa via tokenization.
The solution allows customers to authenticate payments using just their face, without a physical card or mobile phone after initial enrollment. It will be piloted at three Flat White Specialty Coffee branches.
· Card Art Gets Animated: As consumers become more accustomed to getting things instantaneously, Visa is piloting a digital card issuance solution for limited cardholders in Doha.
After simply scanning a QR code, a digital prepaid card will be instantly issued and can be added to a mobile wallet.
The digital card will feature animated card art, with the official mascot La’eeb, demonstrating a future in which consumers could bring greater personalization and even digital animation to their Visa cards.
· Acepting Payments Gets Simpler for SMBs: In partnership with three Qatar-based banks the Visa Tap to Phone solution is now available to merchants in Qatar who want to fast-track their ability to accept digital payments in advance of the expected tourist influx.
Visa Tap to Phone makes it easier for merchants to use their Android NFC-enabled devices they already own to accept contactless payments—simply by downloading an app.
· Tap to Ride Around Doha: Keeping traffic flowing smoothly during FIFA World Cup has been a top priority and Visa, in partnership with Qatar’s Ministry of Transport, is enabling contactless payment acceptance on taxis so fans and Qatari residents will be able pay for their trips with their Visa card or smartphone, making paying for their journeys in and around Doha faster and more convenient.
Earlier this month, Visa unveiled Visa Masters of Movement, a first-of its-kind hybrid experience featuring an interactive pitch at the FIFA Fan Festival in Doha where fans will be able to create digital art inspired by their own signature movements.
The unveiling ceremony
Dr. Saeeda Jaffar, Senior Vice President and Group Country Manager for GCC at Visa, said: “As FIFA’s long-standing partner, Visa wants to give football fans from around the world the best way to pay in Qatar, while experiencing exciting new innovations such as the fusion of art, football and technology at Visa’s Masters of Movement venue. With thousands of contactless payment terminals, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ promises to be the most payment-enabled FIFA tournament ever for the more than one million fans coming to enjoy the magic of football.”
Visa has been FIFA’s Official Payment Technology Partner since 2007.
As a global supporter of both men’s and women’s football, Visa aims to offer experiences that bring people closer to the action, whether they are among the one million people anticipated in Qatar or the five billion viewers expected worldwide for this year’s tournament.
In addition to providing the latest in payment innovations at official FIFA venues, Visa seeks ways to further its commitment to uplift lives through the power of sport through programs such as Financial Football, a video game that combines entertainment and education in an action-packed virtual football tournament.
