After what it saw as a successful trial run at the 2013 Confederations Cup, FIFA confirmed on Thursday that GoalControl would be the official goal-line technology provider of the 2014 World Cup. The original contract was for both tournaments, pending performance in the first test.
“While there were no goal-line incidents in which the technology was required to determine whether a goal had been scored, the system met all necessary FIFA requirements and indicated every one of the 68 goals correctly,” FIFA said in a press release. “Importantly, there was also a high-level of satisfaction reported by match officials.”
GoalControl’s system uses 14 high-speed cameras around the field (including in each goal, as pictured), sending a signal within one second of a ball crossing the line to watches worn by all three referees.
(MORE: Our first major look at goal-line technology on TV, and it’s glorious)
Before the big event next summer, GoalControl has the Club World Cup to ensure its system is up to par. The company beat the other three FIFA-approved providers (Cairos, GoalRef and Hawk-Eye) in bidding for the tournament.
Following FIFA’s example, the English Premier League announced prior to the season starting in August that it would be using goal-line technology, but its version is provided by United Kingdom-based Hawk-Eye. Cairos, GoalRef and GoalControl are all German companies.
(MORE: Premier League unveils Goal Decision System)
At the moment, the 20 Premier League stadiums and six Confederations Cup venues are the only FIFA-certified goal-line technology instillations. Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber said in the past that the top American league would not adopt any form of the technology in the near future, citing high cost of installation and operation.
