The upcoming 2026 World Cup is poised to be a groundbreaking event, introducing semi-automated offside technology that employs twelve cameras to monitor player movements at an impressive rate of 50 frames per second. This innovative approach promises to reduce interruptions and enhance the precision of officiating.
Among the officials expected to utilize this technology is Micheal Barwegan, a member of the first all-Canadian officiating crew in men’s World Cup history. Barwegan has collaborated closely with referee Drew Fischer and assistant referee Lyes Arfa over the last two years, including joint assignments during the 2024 Olympics and last summer’s Club World Cup, in addition to their typical club-level duties.
This summer marks not Barwegan’s first experience with semi-automated systems; he previously served as an assistant during Botafogo’s notable triumph over Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup last year.
Barwegan acknowledges that while the new technology significantly aids his role, it does not transform assistant referees into passive observers.
“I’m gonna tell you, the semi-automated system is not perfect,” Barwegan remarked. “As such, our job stays exactly the same. 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.”
He continued, “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. Its accuracy is amazing at that.”
The system meticulously assesses the positioning of players to determine if an attacking player is in an offside position relative to the second-to-last defender. When the system detects a clear offside scenario, it alerts the assistant referees through an automated voice message stating “offside, offside, offside.” As of last summer’s Club World Cup, a player is considered “clearly offside” if the distance between them and the defender exceeds 10 centimeters.
If the situation is less obvious, the system will inform the assistant referee to “delay” in their earpiece. In cases where no clear offside violation can be determined—due to minimal gaps between players or off-ball movements that complicate the assessment—no message is transmitted. Throughout the match, assistant referees are expected to continue their usual responsibilities, allowing the game to flow unless the play is unequivocally determined.
These automated notifications are exclusive to assistant referees, who maintain ongoing communication with the main referee throughout the game. Barwegan and his colleagues have started to relay the information provided by the semi-automated system as a crucial aspect of their duties.
“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 explained. “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. The computer has to think, and it’s super fast, but [on the field] it feels like forever.”
Barwegan, who also teaches math and enjoys board games, began his officiating journey at the age of 12, initially seeking to earn some extra money. Within five years, he found a greater passion for officiating than playing, despite admitting he “wasn’t that good” at the latter.
“Some people are like, ‘I need to go for a run’,” Barwegan reflected. “I clearly still need to do that, because I have to run [as a referee]. I like engaging my brain. I like reading rules, deciphering rules, and seeing how systems work together.”
By 2012, he was officiating professional matches. His brother, Brian, followed in his footsteps, officiating high school and college games for 17 years.
When Brian decided to retire in 2025, he requested Micheal to serve as his assistant referee for his final match.
“I texted my manager with a weird request: can you [assign] me to Toronto?” Micheal recounted. “He’s like, ‘nobody wants to go to Toronto when it might be cold. What are you doing?”
The reasoning was straightforward; Toronto was the nearest city to Brian’s home in Alberta, allowing Micheal to officiate a professional game on Saturday and still return in time for Brian’s last match.
After overseeing Toronto FC’s 4-2 victory over Orlando City, Micheal boarded a flight and arrived at the University of Lethbridge just in time for the Pronghorns’ game against the University of Alberta Golden Bears.
“I came screaming in, threw on a uniform and threw on my badge and went out there,” Barwegan said. “They still yelled at me non-stop. I was doing a game in MLS 14 hours ago, guys. I know what offside is, I promise.”
