Explore Technological Innovations for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar

The World Cup is the biggest athletic event on the planet, and it brings people from every corner of the globe together to support their hom...

The World Cup is the biggest athletic event on the planet, and it brings people from every corner of the globe together to support their home countries. Qatar is one of the richest nations in the world and will host the 2022 World Cup. It is not unexpected that they have made significant financial investments in a number of technology advancements for this year's World Cup.

 Since all stadiums are only an hour apart and the cup will be hosted for the first time by an Arab nation in the Middle East, the competition will be the closest in the competition's 92-year history. But the innovation goes far further than that, as the 2022 World Cup will also serve as a testing ground for cutting-edge sports technology.

1. Al Rihla The official ball 

Al Rihla The official ball of the world's biggest sporting event, the Al Rihla is equipped with the Adidas Suspension System, a motion sensor that sends data 500 times per second. According to Tomorrow's World Today, the device is imperceptible to players and offers an "unprecedented view" of every element of a round's movement to improve the quality and speed of VAR (video assistant referee) decision-making. And semi-automatic offside technology.

2. Semi-automatic offside technology

Semi-automatic offside technology Speaking of offsides, another Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup innovation is semi-automatic offside technology, designed to allow video and live referees to make faster, more accurate and repeatable decisions. The system is powered by artificial intelligence and uses 12 specialized cameras installed under the stadium roof to track the ball and provide up to 29 data points for each player. Information is collected 50 times per second and provides an automatic offside alert to the referee when the striker is in an offside position. The positional data points generate 3D animations displayed on stadium screens, available to further explain decisions using FIFA broadcast partners.

3. FIFA player application

FIFA player application FIFA Player is the first time a player can use the player application for the World Cup. It provides athletes with information about their performance on the field immediately after each game, collected by a team of professional performance analysts. With it, a player can find out, for example, how much he moves when he catches the ball, how much pressure he puts on the opponent, where he catches the ball, how far he travels at various speed limits, how many moves he makes over 25 km/h. reach maximum speed.

4. Bonocle and Feelix Palm

Bonocle and Feelix Palm To allow visually impaired fans to enjoy the game, this year's event introduced Bonocle and Feelix Palm technology. Bonocle is the world's first Braille entertainment platform using transcoding and Bluetooth technology. Feelix Palm is a communicator with tactile functions. It uses electrical impulses to deliver messages in Braille to the visually impaired without restricting their body movements or hearing.

5. Advanced Stadium Cooling Technology

Advanced Stadium Cooling Technology To ensure thermal comfort during matches, seven of the eight stadiums for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar feature advanced cooling technology, maintaining a temperature of 20°C, which is considered ideal for players and fans temperature. Estimated to be 40% more sustainable and energy efficient than conventional technologies, the system combines insulation and targeted cooling to cool only where people are present.

6. Cameras and algorithms 

Cameras and algorithms On the security front, Qatar's command and control center installed more than 15,000 cameras in the stadium to track people's every move during games, according to the Washington Post. Algorithms are also being used to try to prevent riots in stadiums - and they depend on various data points, including ticket sales and where fans enter. Meanwhile, the more than 80,000-capacity Lusail Stadium, which will host the cup final, has adopted facial recognition technology to track fans.