FIFA Quality Programme for

Offside Technology
How to obtain certification for
Offside Technology
February 2023 | Version 2.0
Introduction
The following document is a guide for any company seeking to test and certify their offside technology to the
requirements of the FIFA Quality Programme for Offside Technology.

The programme is used as a means to test the various offside technologies which aid video assistant referees
(VARs) in making accurate offside decisions. There are two main categories of offside systems that can be
tested as part of the programme:

1. Virtual offside line (VOL) system.

This system uses an operator who,
with support from the VAR team,
manually selects the moment the ball
is played, the leading goalscoring
coordinate of the attacker and the
coordinate of the second-to-last
defender closest to their own goal. Two
VOLs are generated and, based on the
proximity of each line to the goal line,
the offside decision is made. Successful
completion of this test will result in the technology being awarded the ‘FIFA Quality’ certification.

2. Semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) system. This system is capable of tracking multiple skeletal
points on each player as well as the ball in order to automatically select the moment the ball is played and
the coordinates of both the attacker and defender. This data-driven decision is then communicated to the
VARs through a combination of alerts and visualisations.

The major benefits of this system are

that the time taken to reach a decision
is reduced and that virtual-reality
replays can be generated to assist in
the visualisation of the decision. Whilst
the system itself is automated, the VAR
checks the offside situation and takes
the final decision. Successful
completion of this test will result in the
technology being awarded the ‘FIFA
Quality Pro’ certification.

Offside Technology – FIFA Application Guide 1

Certification process for offside technology systems
Any provider who wishes to test and certify their offside technology to the FIFA standard shall follow the
below step-by-step process as a guideline to follow the application process. Please note that, depending on
the type of offside technology to be tested, a different route must be followed. More information on these
certification routes can be found in the next steps of the document.

SAOT
Step Standard Offside Technology
(skeletal tracking)

Step 1 | Application & Requesting test

Step 2 | Offside Technology test event

Step 3 | EPTS Skeletal Tracking test event

Step 4 | Logic & Match test

Step 5 | Product Liability Insurance (PLI)

Step 6 | Contract & Certification

Offside Technology – FIFA Application Guide 2

 Step 1 | Application & Requesting the test

The Offside Technology provider submits the company and product details that it wishes to test to FIFA through
quality@fifa.org.

Once the application documents have been submitted, FIFA will initiate a company compliance check. Should
no issues arise during this check, then the application can proceed. The company details used during the
compliance check will be used for any future Licence Agreements.

Company Profile
Registered company name
Legal address
Contact person
Person(s) authorised to sign
(contract)
E-Mail address
Phone number
Product Brand Name

Details of system to be tested

System Details
Name of system
☐ Standard Offside Certification (FIFA Quality)

Type of system test ☐ SAOT Certification (FIFA Quality Pro)

☐ Both

Connectivity ☐ LAN ☐ Cloud

Product Code (if applicable)
Software Version
Any other relevant information

The above information will be used for any future system certification reports.

Offside Technology – FIFA Application Guide 3

 Step 2 | Offside Technology test event (all providers)

Each system must be tested in accordance with the FIFA Quality Programme Offside Technology Test Manual.
Providers have the opportunity to test their systems at the annual FIFA-organised offside test event taking
place within a stadium environment. Testing will be carried out by a FIFA-accredited Test Institute.

Test events are scheduled to take place in April-May each year. Information regarding their exact dates and
location will be shared with technology providers a minimum of two months prior to the test or will be
announced on FIFA.com. FIFA will charge a test fee of CHF 3’000.00 for each system test charged directly to
providers. If a provider wishes to test more than one system at the same event, each additional system will
incur a fee of CHF 500.

For those companies testing standard offside technology (cross-hair, triangulation offside techniques),
successful completion of the test will be provided in the form of a passed test report issued by FIFA. To continue
the process please skip to Step 5 for further information relating to the next step.

For those companies testing semi-automated offside technology, successful completion of this test event
means they are eligible to proceed with the EPTS Skeletal Tracking test event (Step 3).

Step 3 | EPTS Skeletal Tracking test event (SAOT only)

To test the accuracy of the tracking component of the system, semi-automated offside technology providers
must participate in the EPTS test to validate their ball tracking and skeletal tracking data. Each system must be
tested in accordance with the Handbook of Test Methods for Skeletal Tracking.

Testing will take place at an annual FIFA-organised test event taking place within a stadium environment.
Testing will be carried out by a FIFA-accredited Test Institute.

Test events are scheduled to take place in May-June each year. Information regarding their exact dates and
location will be shared with technology providers a minimum of two months prior to the test or will be
announced on FIFA.com. To cover test-related costs, FIFA will charge providers a test fee of CHF 7’500.00 for
each data set submitted. An additional analysis fee will be charged by the Test Institute separately.

Offside Technology – FIFA Application Guide 4

 Step 4 | Logic & Test Match (SAOT only)

The third component for approval of semi-automated offside technology systems is carried out in the form of
a logic and match test. During this test the functionality and logic of the system is tested in a match-like
scenario.

FIFA will organise such a test on an annual basis either in connection with the Offside Technology test event
(Step 2) or the EPTS Skeletal Tracking test event (Step 3) depending on the availability of access to the stadiums.
In the event that a technology provider does not participate in the test organised by FIFA, technology providers
have the possibility to organise a separate test considering that all costs need to be covered by the provider.

Based upon the performance of the system in the logic & match test, FIFA deserves the right to request another
test in case of issues in the logic of the system.

Successful completion of the tests (Step 2, Step 3, Step 4) will result in a passed test report issued by FIFA. The
report will contain elements from both the offside technology and skeletal tracking test events and a summary
of the observations from the Logic and Test Match.

Step 5 | Product Liability Insurance (PLI)

Prior to countersigning the agreement, proof of a Product Liability Insurance that is valid for the whole
certification is an essential part of the Licence Agreement. This is compulsory for all offside technology
providers. This insurance is primarily in the interest of the licensee to ensure protection in case of any claim in
connection with the use of the technology. In order to be eligible to enter into a licence agreement with FIFA
the following criteria must be met:

Product Liability Insurance – minimum requirements

1 Name and address of licensee (policyholder)
Territorial scope of application: worldwide coverage needed (incl. USA & Canada), no exclusions
2
allowed
3 Period – Coverage needed throughout whole contract period
4 FIFA must be named as a co-insured or additionally insured party
Coverage: A minimum of CHF 5 million per claim for bodily injuries, property damages and pure
5
financial losses

If the national insurance market does not provide adequate insurance solutions, it is helpful and constructive
to use an insurance broker with access to the international insurance market. The applicant has to provide
written confirmation from the insurance company that the product liability insurance will be concluded as per
the terms and conditions of the Licence Agreement.

Offside Technology – FIFA Application Guide 5

 Step 6 | Contract & Certification

Following completion of the previous steps, FIFA will provide a Standard Licence Agreement to the technology
provider for digital signature. The Licence Agreement outlines the details of the licence and product
certification, such as rights and obligations for both parties. Signing this agreement acts as the official basis for
the technology provider to become a licensee of the FIFA Quality Programme for Offside Technology,
permitting the certification of their technology for offside purposes only.

Offside Technology – FIFA Application Guide 6