The Confederação Brasileira de Futebol (CBF), one of the most prestigious organizations in the world’s game, has selected Genius Sports to implement its world-leading semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) in 2026.
Genius Sports’ semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) has become a benchmark in global football, already deployed in the Premier League, CONMEBOL’s Copa Sudamericana and Copa Libertadores, and the Belgian Pro League. Now, the CBF will introduce this innovation across the Brasileiro Série A and Copa do Brasil, driving greater speed, efficiency, and accuracy in offside rulings.
Powered by GeniusIQ, Genius Sports’ SAOT will ingest rich mesh tracking data from its computer vision cameras that will be installed in all top flight Brazilian football stadiums. The ground-breaking technology then automates the kick point for every offside decision and will immediately alert CBF’s VAR operators before producing a clear 3D render showing an exact offside plane.
“We are taking another decisive step in the modernization process of Brazilian football,” said Samir Xaud, President of CBF. “The arrival of semi-automatic offside is not just a technological innovation, but a concrete measure to increase the accuracy, transparency, and credibility of refereeing decisions. It is a move aligned with the most advanced practices in the football world, and CBF will continue working to ensure that our competitions are a benchmark in quality and fairness.”
Genius Sports’ SAOT has been proven across hundreds of games in some of the biggest competitions in world football, removing the need for manually drawn offside lines while automatically producing broadcast-ready decision visuals within seconds.
“To implement our SAOT system with CBF, the most successful federation in FIFA World Cup history, is an incredible validation of Genius Sports’ world-class technology,” said Mark Locke, CEO of Genius Sports. “Brazil is a critical market across our entire business, and we’re excited to work alongside CBF to deliver technology that minimizes delays, restores the natural rhythm of the game, and empowers officials to make accurate and efficient offside decisions.”
