By Scrollsocial 
Due to the many mistakes from human referees, FIFA is exploring the possibility of replacing the matchday linesman and assistant referees with robots.
The talks are undertaken within the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) of the world’s football association. The English publication Mirror mentioned that the team is working to include the technology in the game of football. Now robots will take the decisions of goals and all penalities.
Clearly, an official confirmed to the Mirror Online: “FIFA already have a department set up researching into these exact areas.
“Will they substitute referee assistants completely with cameras and computers ruling offsides and throw-ins? Definitely, It could happen one day.”
It might be a few years away, but the game could have another added disillusion after the defeat to convince the fans over the addition of the VAR in the Premier League. But, it was a monster hit in other European top-flight leagues – including the Bundesliga, Serie A, and La Liga, who have chosen this technology over the past season at least.
FIFA president Giovanni Infantino is a tremendous fan of the newly-wedded technology and desires to introduce the robots to revoke high-profile errors, which was a common occurrence before years ago.
Premier League VAR chief Neil Swarbrick retained the VAR and rejected is being taken away from referees during games.
Talking to the Daily Star per The Mirror, the former referee said: “It’s because people are not related to it yet. Sometimes it gives even more entertainment.”
Present Update in 2025 On Robots in FIFA
FIFA does not currently use physical robots as referees or umpires, but it has developed advanced artificial intelligence (AI) systems that act as robotic assistants to help human referees make decisions more accurately and quickly.
Semi-Automated Offside Technology (SAOT)
FIFA introduced semi-automated offside technology beginning at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. This system uses up to 12 AI-driven cameras installed in stadium roofs that track 29 different points on each player’s body, along with a sensor inside the match ball that sends position data 500 times per second. When an offside incident occurs, the AI system automatically sends an alert to the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) booth, which then verifies the data before informing the referee on the field.
Future Developments
FIFA continues to explore the possibility of replacing linesmen with more automated systems in the future. Ongoing research by its technology department includes testing how fully autonomous systems could assist or even replace assistant referees in the long term. However, for now, robots act only as data-driven assistants, not as independent match officials.