The 2026 FIFA World Cup officially opened on Thursday, and the Referee Body Camera, which films matches from the referee’s viewpoint, was deployed for the first time across all 104 matches. The headset-mounted camera worn by Brazilian referee Wilton Sampaio (윌튼 삼파이우) in the opening match drew global viewers’ attention.

The referee cam is a small, high-definition stabilised camera attached to a headset. It provides live broadcasts or replays from the referee’s viewpoint. Lenovo, FIFA’s official technology partner, applied AI-based real-time stabilisation software to cut motion blur by up to 50 percent. It also installed servers at the Dallas International Broadcast Centre (IBC) to support stable video processing. The video is transmitted in 1080i quality via a private 5G network.

The referee cam is used as an additional angle to complement the existing broadcast cameras, which number up to 45 per match. It can show viewers what the referee actually saw in frequently disputed penalty kick, handball and offside decisions, and is being assessed as the biggest broadcasting innovation since VAR. FIFA said the referee-cam footage is not included in the standard feed provided to media partners and is operated under separate guidelines.

The technology spread to major leagues including the Bundesliga in the 2025 to 26 season after receiving an assessment that it “exceeded expectations” in a trial run at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. In the Bundesliga, referee-cam clips drew about 2,000,000 views each weekend, confirming fan response.

Pierluigi Collina (피에를루이지 콜리나), chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, said after the Club World Cup trial run, “It was beyond expectations. We received an excellent response from viewers.” FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom (마티아스 그라프스트룀) stressed, “Referee point-of-view video increases the transparency of decisions and connects fans more closely to the decision-making process.”

The referee cam was first introduced at an MLS All-Star match in 2013, and in the EPL referee Jarred Gillett (자렛 길렛) wore it for the first time in 2024. IFAB revised Law 5 (the referee) at its 140th annual general meeting held in Wales in February this year, approving referee-cam use as an option for official competitions and providing the legal basis for full adoption at the World Cup.