CBF confirms semi-automated offside from round 20 of Brasileirão | OneFootball

Semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) will make its debut in Brazilian football. Starting on July 25 at 6:30 p.m. (Brasília time), the technology will begin to be used in the Brazilian Série A Championship in the matches Athletico-PR vs. Internacional, at Arena da Baixada, and Santos vs. Chapecoense, at Vila Belmiro. The other eight matches of the 20th round will also feature SAOT.

Developed by GeniusIQ, the AI and data platform of Genius Sports, the technology will provide referees with fast, accurate, and efficient offside decisions.

In November 2025, during the inaugural meeting of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) Refereeing Working Group, attended by representatives of clubs and state football federations, CBF president Samir Xaud confirmed that SAOT would be introduced in the 2026 season. Since then, 20 stadiums have been visited by technical teams from the CBF and Genius Sports, the company responsible for providing the system for Brazilian football.

"When we made the commitment to implement semi-automated offside technology (SAOT), we made it clear that modernizing refereeing would be a priority of our administration. Today, we are delivering this technology to Brazilian football after a careful process of planning, testing, and training. It is an investment that brings the Brazilian Championship closer to the highest international standards and reinforces our commitment to transparency, sporting fairness, and the credibility of competitions promoted by the CBF," said CBF president Samir Xaud.

Contract signed in London secures semi-automated technology for the Brasileirão and the Copa do Brasil in the 2026 and 2027 seasonsCredits: Disclosure

In addition to the 19 stadiums used by clubs in the Brazilian Série A Championship, Arena Barueri will also feature semi-automated offside technology. Palmeiras will play there as the home team whenever Nubank Parque is unavailable to host an official football match this season.

“The implementation of semi-automated offside technology marks a historic milestone for Brazilian football. It is a strategic investment by the CBF in the modernization of refereeing, bringing the Brazilian Championship into line with the world’s leading competitions. Our goal is to provide increasing precision, transparency, and confidence in on-field decisions, strengthening the credibility of the competition and providing more security for referees, athletes, clubs, and fans,” said Netto Góes, Director of the CBF Refereeing Commission, who took part in the entire process of installing the technology in Brazilian football.

Each stadium was equipped with between 28 and 32 dedicated cameras, supported by five local servers that ensure system connectivity. The captured images will be transmitted in real time to the CBF’s Video Assistant Referee (VAR) Operations Center in Rio de Janeiro. The center has 10 integrated control rooms equipped with VAR and SAOT technologies.

Cameras were installed at Neo Química Arena for the implementation of semi-automated offside technologyCredits: Disclosure/Corinthians

Compared to other countries and territories that have already adopted the technology, the CBF completed one of the fastest implementation processes ever carried out.

In Brazil, the project included technical inspections, installations, meetings, evaluations, engineering assessments, and an extensive series of tests in the 19 Série A stadiums, later expanded to 20 with the inclusion of Arena Barueri. The implementation also involved comprehensive training for referees, VAR officials, and technical staff, as well as tests during official matches and simulated scenarios that validated the system before its debut in the Brazilian Championship.

"This is just one more step in a much broader transformation of Brazilian refereeing, involving technology, education, professionalization, and innovation. Starting on July 25, we will begin a new era for Brazilian football, reaffirming the CBF’s commitment to excellence and to the continuous evolution of our sport," added Netto Góes.

The new SAOT is powered by GeniusIQ, which ingests billions of data points captured by the dedicated cameras in each stadium and then automatically identifies potential offside situations, selects the relevant attacking and defending players, and pinpoints the exact moment of the kick before producing a 3D visualization of the offside decision within seconds.

Integration between VAR and SAOT is part of the final stage of implementing semi-automated offside technologyCredits: Fábio Souza/CBF

The data captured by the system is transmitted to the VAR room, where it is combined with player tracking information generated by cameras positioned throughout the stadium. The integration of these technologies allows for more precise analysis of offside situations and handball incidents.

"The implementation of semi-automated offside technology represents a major step forward for Brazilian football and reinforces the CBF’s commitment to the continuous evolution of refereeing. This initiative, developed by the Refereeing Department, incorporates technological solutions designed to assist referees in their decision-making process. Its main objective is to provide greater precision, transparency, and speed in the analysis of offside situations, especially the most complex ones, contributing to increasingly consistent decisions and strengthening the confidence of everyone involved in the game," said Sandro Meira Ricci, president of the CBF Refereeing Commission.

In addition to SAOT, Genius Sports also provides a tracking system for players, referees, and the ball (tracking data), as well as Performance Studio, an advanced tactical and performance analysis platform. Genius Sports’ SAOT solution will be fully integrated with the VAR system already used in CBF competitions, operated by Hawk-Eye.

"The CBF is one of the iconic organizations in world football, and the implementation of our cutting-edge SAOT technology is a milestone for Genius Sports’ expansion in Brazil," said Mark Locke, CEO of Genius Sports. "By adopting GeniusIQ, the CBF has also laid essential foundations to drive a new era of Brazilian football through data-driven training tools, immersive broadcasts, and enhanced sponsorship activations."

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.