Micheal Barwegan Explains 2026 World Cup Red Card In Soccer Review Shift
The 2026 World Cup will be the first edition of the tournament to use semi-automated offside technology, and Micheal Barwegan says it will change how assistant referees handle red card in soccer style pressure moments around close calls. The system tracks player movement with a dozen cameras at 50 stills per second. It gives officials a faster read, but it does not replace the last decision on the field.
Barwegan And The Canadian Crew
Barwegan is part of an all-Canadian crew at the tournament, alongside referee Drew Fischer and assistant referee Lyes Arfa. The three have worked increasingly often together over the past two years, including at the 2024 Olympics and last summer's Club World Cup. That shared work has already included the first time Barwegan used the technology.
His first run with semi-automated offside came last summer during Botafogo's win over Paris Saint-Germain at the Club World Cup. Since then, he has described the system as useful, but not flawless. “I’m gonna tell you, the semi-automated system is not perfect,” he said.
How The System Talks
The technology tracks every player and uses points on those players to judge position. When it is absolutely certain, it sends assistant referees an automated voice message in the earpiece: “offside, offside, offside.” As of last summer's Club World Cup, a player is clearly offside when the gap between defender and attacker is more than 10cm.
When the call is closer, the system says “delay” in the assistant referee’s earpiece. If there is no clear offside call to flag, there is no message. Barwegan said the assistant referees still have to keep doing their usual work while the play remains inconclusive, and only assistant referees receive the automated messages. They stay in constant contact with the referee for the full duration of the match.
Barwegan said the system does not make a decision until the offside-position player touches the ball. “The advantage to us on those plays is that the system doesn’t make a decision until the offside position player touches the ball,” he said. “When the ball gets played and a player’s running, I am quick to say [whether] he’s going to be offside or he’s good, and I will clear it to the referee in his earpiece before another decision has to be made.”
Barwegan's Fast Read
He began officiating at age 12, and the speed of the new setup still tests the people wearing the headsets. “The computer has to think, and it’s super fast, but [on the field] it feels like forever,” he said. He also said, “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 bottom line is blunt. “As such, our job stays exactly the same.” That leaves the 2026 World Cup with a new tool, but the same on-field chain of responsibility: the system can push a call toward the assistant referee, yet the crew still has to manage the play in real time when the picture is not clear.
