Choose Your Tools
Pick the tools that work best on your device. The skill matters more than the software. Chromebook, Windows, Mac and iPad users can all complete this activity successfully.
Use this for your notes on each technology, your VAR decision log and written analysis.
Use this for your final referee tech briefing document or visual explainer.
Use these for VAR, Hawk-Eye, semi-automated offside and 3D scanning technology research.
The key conceptual leap in this challenge is understanding that semi-automated offside detection is not simply watching video more carefully. It is a computer vision system that constructs a 3D model of every player's body from multiple camera angles simultaneously and measures spatial relationships between those models. This is quite different from what most learners assume VAR does. FIFA's own technical explainer videos are unusually accessible and worth showing before learners start.
Strong responses will distinguish clearly between different technologies (VAR review protocol, semi-automated offside, Hawk-Eye ball tracking, connected ball sensor) and explain the mechanism of each. Look for learners who can explain the 3D skeletal modelling concept in plain language, not just name it.
Support: Focus on VAR and semi-automated offside only. Provide a glossary of terms: computer vision, skeletal tracking, Hawk-Eye, connected ball, frame rate. Extension: Research the specific technical specifications of the Adidas Al Rihla connected ball used at Qatar 2022 and compare with the 2026 ball sensor specifications.
