Nov 26, Kathmandu- Many things are happening for the first time in the World Cup in Qatar. As for the first time, the World Cup football has been organized in the winter, it is the first time that it has been organized in a Gulf country. In addition to this, new tracking technologies that try to modernize the traditional practice of football are being used for the first time in this World Cup.

Qatar, which has spent more than $300 billion on building infrastructure for the tournament since it first won the tournament 12 years ago, is using the opportunity to show off some of its surprises. This year's FIFA World Cup has been overwhelmed by technology.

Connected Ball Technology

Every football used in this year's World Cup uses the "Connected Ball Technology" developed by Adidas. It provides precise data tracking on the impact and movement of every kick and header (ball hit by the head) on the football ground. Although the ball looks normal from the outside, inside it is made with a motion sensor powered by a rechargeable battery.

The sensor sends data to FIFA's video match officials, who then review the data live to help determine offside decisions and resolve disputes that have been unclearly touched off. This ball has been specially prepared by Adidas for this World Cup.

Semi-automated offside tracking technology

Generally speaking, the semi-automated offside tracking technology is the technology that detects whether the players have kicked offside or not. This technology has worked as an assistant referee. Especially for potential red cards, penalties, counterchecks, etc., this technique helps.

Twelve cameras have been installed on the roof of the World Cup stadium. Which is tracking the ball and each player from 29 different sides. So that the player can be seen in which place at which time from the VR room.

The data collected from those 29 sides gives information about offside/not by looking at the position of hands and feet. This system is automatic. The motion sensor on the AL Rihla ball used in the FIFA World Cup 2022 also supports the semi-automated offside technology.

The data of the location of the player's hands and feet provided by the camera and the data tracked by the ball are used to determine whether the player is offside/not offside using artificial intelligence. In this way, after evaluating both the data, the technician in the VAR room confirms which player is in the offside position. And, they provide information about it in real-time.

This process is so fast that when there is an offside, the VAR can inform. To make the offside situation clear, the position of the player is shown in the form of 3D animation from the VAR room.

Surveillance of the audience from the camera

Qatar has installed more than 15,000 cameras at various locations for the safety of the players who come to watch the World Cup. Face recognition technology has been used in all these cameras. More than 1 million spectators have gone to watch the World Cup in Qatar and the organizers say that these cameras are used to protect these spectators from any kind of terrorism, riots, and other risks.

These cameras have been installed in all eight stadiums and will be operated and monitored from the control center of the stadium management. Security technicians have been assigned to the center, who will monitor the view from the cameras during the program.

Cameras have also been installed in stadiums, metro trains, and bus stations. In addition, viewers will be monitored on the road through drones developed by Qatar University. In case of any untoward incident, the security personnel will be able to go to the incident site using the map through the installed 'Security Monitor'.

FIFA Player App

This time, Qatar has also arranged a separate mobile app for the players. The players participating in the World Cup will be able to view the details of their activities during the match through the FIFA Player app. Such an arrangement had not happened in any previous World Cup.

The new app monitors a player's performance during a game and then provides details to the respective player shortly after the game ends.

The app measures various data points captured by field cameras, including distance covered, maximum speed, and the number of actions performed above a certain speed threshold. Using those metrics and other indicators of player performance, the algorithm then provides analysis and detail that footballers can study. It is said that it will help the players to improve their game.

Cooling system

As soon as the World Cup was going to be held in Qatar, everyone had one question - how could the game be held in such a hot place? But in this game, which was organized for the first time in winter in Qatar, cooling technologies have been used. The match was scheduled to take place on another date, which was postponed to November due to the hot summer in the Gulf state.

Even now, the temperature in Qatar's capital, Doha, is expected to reach 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Cooling technology has been used to reduce this temperature loss and keep the stadium cool. This technology cools the outside air flowing into the stadium through pipes. That is, these pipes turn the hot air outside into the cold and flow into the stadium.