Match officials are set to wear body cams at this summer’s Club World Cup scheduled to hold in the United States of America according to football’s governing body, FIFA.
Footage collected by the bodycams will be made available to broadcasters during matches at the 32-team competition in the United States.
“It is a good chance to offer the viewers a new experience, in terms of images taken from a perspective, from an angle of vision which was never offered before,” said Pierluigi Collina, the FIFA Referees Committee chairman.
Referee bodycams were first trialled in English grassroots football last season, with trials expanded in 2024/2025 after results showed a decrease in abuse towards officials.
A referee wore a bodycam during a Bundesliga match for the first time in February 2024, before one was used during the 1-1 draw between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich last November.
Jarred Gillett became the first referee in England’s top-flight to wear a bodycam when Crystal Palace defeated Manchester United 4-0 in a Premier League match played in May 2024. It was permitted as a “one-off” to capture footage for a programme promoting match officials.
Bodycams have been used in America’s Major League Soccer in recent seasons.