The decision of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) to use in the Serie A of the Brazilian Championship and in the Copa do Brasil, from 2026, the technology known as semi-automatic offside (or Saot, for its acronym in English) came at the right time. It promises to bring greater precision, speed and transparency to movements where there is doubt about the player’s lead. Through a combination of camera images, geometry and the laws of physics, the system is able to automatically detect the point on the athlete’s body closest to the baseline.
Semi-automatic offside: how the new Brasileirão 2026 works
Today, the long minutes of waiting – and suspense – while lines are drawn often spark outrage. When in doubt, players hold back their celebrations and sports commentators don’t know whether to shout or wait until the test is over. The narration of the goal a few minutes after the entry of the ball cuts the atmosphere.
Introduced globally during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, semi-automatic offside is already adopted in Premier League (England) and La Liga (Spain) competitions, among others. The implementation of the new system will require adaptations in stadiums hosting Serie A matches. Each location must be equipped with 24 cameras with full coverage of the pitch. The contract signed by the CBF with a British company also provides for a tracking system for players, the referee and the ball.
- Technology: Serie A stadiums receive technical visits to implement semi-automatic offside
Technology is always welcome to help the sport and resolve doubts. Used regularly in the Brasileirão since 2019, VAR represented a step forward, even if it did not end the controversy. Despite the complaints – linked more to usage than the technology itself – it is difficult to imagine football without a video referee. Or does anyone have any doubts that the historic goal scored by Diego Maradona in the 1986 World Cup would be overturned today?
But technology, as efficient as it may be, does not lead the way. And here’s a problem that neither VAR nor Saot can solve: the refereeing in the domestic championships has been poor. It is true that the CBF organizes training for referees, but it is clear that it has not solved this problem. Neither do punishments or dismissals. What happened in 2025 was worrying. Even FIFA referees, considered the best prepared, were not saved. Supporters of each team have at least one grotesque gesture to report.
In addition to technological advances, the CBF must improve the quality of refereeing, in order to avoid the festival of gross errors on the field. In increasingly balanced championships, a failure of refereeing can seal the fate of a club and lead to unfair victories or relegations.
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