How a Kick Becomes a Number
Tracing the FIFA World Cup 2026™ tracking stack end to end: a 500 Hz sensor in the ball, sixteen cameras
rebuilding every player, an AI layer on top, and the six audiences who each want something different
from the same moment. Public sources only, every claim cited or marked as inference.
185 components · 153 links
13 technical deep-dives
±2 ms
KICK TIMING
16
OPTICAL CAMS
50 fps
POSE RATE
1 µs
CLOCK SYNC
~10 cm
OFFSIDE TEST
< 1 s
ALERT LOOP
< 30 s
PUBLIC GATE
48
TEAM ANALYSTS
”
THE REPORT OPENS
Calling the ball a computer is a slight stretch. It is closer to a sensor with a radio. But
follow what it does, five hundred times a second, and ‘computer’ stops feeling wrong.
THE SUB-SECOND OFFICIATING LOOP
How one kick becomes a verdict
Trace one pass from the boot to the booth and back. Every
stage locks to one clock; the loop closes on the pitch.
PTP · IEEE-1588
1 µs
01 · ON THE PITCH
Capture
16 cameras track every player
a sensor in the ball feels kicks
players also wear motion pods
02 · OFF THE PITCH
Transport
the ball radios its spot ~100×/s
pitch-side receivers pick it up
5G + fibre carry it to the hub
03 · THE ENGINE
Decide
lines up ball-timing + players
draws the offside line itself
run by a FIFA + Hawk-Eye firm
04 · THE VERDICT
Tell the ref
verdict → the ref's earpiece
as an automatic spoken cue
no slow video review needed
05 · THE WHISTLE
Play resumes
the ref acts on the cue
all of it in under a second
then the data goes wide →
01
02
03
04
05
clear calls are automatic · tight ones (< 10 cm) go to VAR
THEN THE FIREHOSE
The same data, out to the world
The referee was the first audience; the same feed then reaches five more - each held < 30 s.
FIFA Data Hub
The single clearing house:
verified metrics computed once,
then licensed out by consumer.
2,000+
EFI METRICS
< 30 S GATE
Broadcast
& TV
3-D lines · avatars
RefCam
Fan apps
fdh-api
unauthenticated
Player app
fdp
per-user Bearer token
Football
AI Pro
48 teams
Lenovo / NVIDIA NIM
Betting data
Stats Perform
Sportradar
WHO BUILDS & OWNS IT
A small handful of companies
SNY
Sony
Owns the optical engine (Hawk-Eye, 100%) and a wearables vendor (STATSports).
FTC
FTC AG
FIFA × Hawk-Eye joint venture; runs the offside core. Zürich, 3 directors.
K+A
KINEXON + Adidas
The connected ball - sensor module inside Trionda 2026 / Al Rihla.
LEN
Lenovo
AI Factory + on-prem compute & broadcast IT; serves models via NVIDIA NIM.
R+V
Riedel · Verizon
Private 5G, RefCam comms and the venue contribution feed.
Every FIFA vendor contract value is non-public.
INSIDE THE BALL
A computer you can kick
MCU
UWB
IMU
the round KINEXON board · ~4 cm
Atmel ATSAMD21
the microcontroller - the ball's brain
UWB radio · DW1000-class
radios its spot ~100×/s; 2026 chip house-marked
500 Hz IMU
feels the kick to ~2 ms, on a cord mount
Qi coil + LiPo
wireless charge; keys its radio off the dock
Chip IDs read off the silkscreen in public FCC teardown photos.
How a Kick Becomes a Number
kicktonumber.com