Heads in the game

With 12 minutes left in extra time of the 2022 World Cup final, Lionel Messi’s shot appeared to give Argentina a 3–2 lead—until an offside flag put the decision in the referee’s hands. For the first time at the tournament, semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) was available to resolve the call.

The system’s image showed a French defender fractionally nearer the goal than Lautaro Martinez, and because hands and arms are not counted for offside, Martinez was declared onside. Argentina held the lead, and the match later went to a penalty shootout. The team behind that technology included researchers at the MIT Sports Lab, a group founded in 2015 by mechanical engineering professor Anette “Peko” Hosoi and entrepreneur Christina Chase.

The lab brings together students, faculty, athletes, and industry partners to apply engineering, data science, and product development to sports challenges, and it has worked with organizations such as FIFA, the NBA, the NFL, and Adidas.

Argentina

saot, offside technology, lionel messi, lautaro martinez, world cup, mit, anette hosoi, christina chase, fifa, penalty shootout