Belgian football introduces semi-automatic offside technology
From the 2025–26 season onwards, Belgian professional football will adopt a new VAR system featuring semi-automatic offside technology. On Tuesday, the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) and the Pro League presented the system at the RBFA’s headquarters in Tubize.
At the heart of the 15 million euro upgrade are new tactical cameras that record up to 10,000 data points per frame - a significant improvement on the 50 data points captured by current systems. This will enable clubs to track the movements of players with great precision.
The system, developed by Genius IQ, uses artificial intelligence to generate a 3D digital recreation of the pitch and all players in real time. For each potential offside decision, it automatically selects the best angle and frame to analyse.
"We don’t aim to be the biggest league in Europe, but we do aim to be the smartest"
A VAR operator will still verify the selection of players, the accuracy of the model, and the choice of frame. However, the use of AI will reduce waiting times for decisions to between 30 and 45 seconds. Training for operators will begin this summer alongside the development of fail-safe protocols, according to the Pro League.
European first
The technology will enable broadcasters to display an offside line during matches, a feature that is currently only used in the English Premier League.
"It's a first on the European mainland," said Pro League CEO Lorin Parys. "We don’t aim to be the biggest league in Europe, but we do aim to be the smartest."
The system will be used not only in Belgium's first and second divisions, but also in youth leagues from U13s upwards - a first in Europe, according to the Pro League.
Pro League CEO Lorin Parys pictured during a press conference in question. © BELGA PHOTO BRUNO FAHY
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