Decisive technology: ball with sensor caught touch in a dramatic move that eliminated Croatia and classified Portugal; understand

Croatia's goal that was disallowed after the VAR detected a deviation and ruled it offside.
REUTERS/Jeenah Moon
The match between Portugal and Croatia was decided down to the smallest detail. When the Portuguese were leading 2-1 at the end of the second half, the Croatians equalized. However, with the help of ball technology, a deflection was detected in the ball that marked the offside in the goal, thus giving the Portuguese classification.
The cup ball, Trionda, is equipped with sensors, artificial intelligence and even a charging system.
Developed by Adidas, the technological version of the ball was decisive in the match.
Among the technologies present, the players' Trionda features a movement sensor capable of tracking everything that happens during the match and sends real-time data to the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system.
In practice, Trionda collects and transmits information 500 times per second. With this data, referees are able to more accurately monitor each movement of the ball throughout the game.
This feature, however, is nothing new. He was already present at Al Rihla, used in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. As with the previous Copa model, the Trionda's sensor is battery-powered. Therefore, from time to time, the ball needs to be connected to the socket for recharging.
Sensors present in the 2026 World Cup (left) and 2022 (right) balls
Disclosure/Adidas
Unlike previous models, in which the motion sensor was "suspended" in the center of the ball, it is now embedded in a layer within one of the Trionda's four panels. (see image above)
According to Adidas, the other three panels received counterweights to compensate for the weight of the sensor and ensure that the ball maintains balance during the game.
The number of panels (the pieces that form the structure of the ball) also changed and was significantly reduced. Al Rihla, used in the 2022 World Cup, had 20 panels.
Official ball of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Disclosure/Adidas
The company explains that the information collected by the sensor is combined with data on the players' positioning and analyzed by artificial intelligence. With this, the referees are able to review moves more quickly, including offside situations and possible handballs.
"One of our main focuses was to help referees make correct decisions as quickly as possible, because any VAR review interrupts the rhythm of the match," said Hannes Schaefke, football innovation leader at Adidas, in an interview with The Athletic in 2025.
As in previous years, the entire project was developed in partnership with Kinexon, a systems technology company data tracking and analysis for sports.
More technologies
FIFA also uses 3D scanning technology for players called up for the 2026 World Cup. The idea is to create a digital version of each athlete to help referees.
With these avatars, referees are able to more accurately visualize the position of the players' bodies at the moment the ball is touched, which can help in the analysis of moves such as offsides. The project was developed in partnership with Lenovo.
Another new feature is Football AI Pro, an AI tool created by FIFA to assist technical committees after matches. The system analyzes game data and generates reports with information on athletes' performance, tactical aspects and possible strategies.
To do this, it combines different sources of information, such as match statistics, player positioning data and game videos. According to FIFA, the objective is to speed up the analysis work and help teams extract information in a faster and more organized way.
READ ALSO:
Scams with World Cup sticker albums soar and add up to more than 160 fake websites
Scammers clone FIFA website to deceive Brazilians looking for tickets
Brazilian team uniform for trip to the USA becomes a meme on social media; PHOTOS
Trionda: chip, AI and battery make the 2026 World Cup ball work like a 'computer'

Source: G1