Micheal Barwegan explains 2026 World Cup Red Card Rules shift
The 2026 World Cup will be the first edition of the tournament to use semi-automated offside technology, and Micheal Barwegan says the system will change the way assistant referees hear offside decisions. The world cup red card rules will not drive this shift, but the new offside setup will put more of the call-making process on a dozen cameras and an earpiece alert.
Barwegan said the technology uses a dozen cameras to track player movement at a rate of 50 stills per second. When the gap between defender and attacker is more than 10cm, the system can send an automated voice message of “offside, offside, offside” to the assistant referee’s earpiece; if the play is tighter, it says “delay,” and if there is no clear call, there is no message at all.
Barwegan and Fischer
Barwegan is part of the first all-Canadian officiating team in men’s World Cup history, working with referee Drew Fischer and assistant referee Lyes Arfa. The three have worked together increasingly often over the past two years, including at the 2024 Olympics and last summer’s Club World Cup.
He said he first worked with semi-automated offside technology last summer during Botafogo’s win over Paris Saint-Germain at the Club World Cup. Barwegan also said the system does not make a decision until the offside-position player touches the ball, which keeps the assistant referee involved in the play until that moment.
How the earpiece works
Barwegan was direct about the limits of the new setup. “I’m gonna tell you, the semi-automated system is not perfect,” he said. “As such, our job stays exactly the same.”
He also described the technology as strong on routine decisions, saying, “It is really, really good – I like to say I’m a little bit better – but I think that’s purely just on a technical side with how it’s programmed.” His view of the system’s tracking is even firmer: “It’s tracking every player, and it’s got points [on each of those players] that it’s tracking … so I’m going to say it is as perfect as an assistant referee, if not better, on your normal run-of-the-mill offside calls.”
Officiating with less delay
The practical change for assistants is speed, not a new role. Barwegan said, “The computer has to think, and it’s super fast, but [on the field] it feels like forever.” That is the gap the tournament will try to close when the 2026 World Cup opens with semi-automated offside technology for the first time.
For Barwegan, whose officiating career began at age 12 and who also works as a math teacher, the new system adds a faster signal but leaves the assistant referee still responsible for the run of play. The technology may decide the message, but the officials still have to manage the match until the ball is touched and the call is made.
