LaLiga's 'connected ball' set to reshape VAR from season start

LaLiga de España will debut its new “connected ball” in the opening fixture of the 2026/27 Primera División, the Alavés‑Getafe clash on Saturday 15 August, marking the first time the sensor‑equipped ball will assist VAR decisions and provide precise location data for out‑of‑bounds calls.

The ball houses a 25‑gram sensor that combines an accelerometer and a gyroscope, allowing it to record impact force and speed as it moves across the pitch.

How the sensor works

Data are transmitted through twelve antennas installed in each stadium, positioned behind the goals and along the side stands. According to Luis Mosquera, Football Data and Technology Expert at Kinexon, the ball will emit 560 signals per second, while positional information will be sent at a rate of 100 signals per second.

“All that flow of data and camera images is synchronized with those precision time protocols, with the ball information and that information reaches the VAR room to make timely decisions,” Mosquera explained.

Implementation across LaLiga

The system requires all twenty LaLiga stadiums to be equipped with the antenna network and to follow a specific protocol for ball charging, handling and storage, a project developed together with Kinexon.

Each ball must be wirelessly charged for roughly ninety minutes, granting a five‑hour autonomy. Clubs will receive specialised cabinets containing twenty charging stations that also store the balls and verify their condition.

Eduardo Prieto, head of VAR in Spanish football, said, “We have made the ball speak. Thanks to that voice we will be more precise. I tell VAR referees that they are surgeons, they have to analyse and scrutinise every event of the match based on the rules and decide whether to intervene. In that surgery we incorporate a technology that is much finer and more precise.” He added, “In off‑side space disputes, to determine whether a player touches the ball or not, it helps to determine the exact frame. Also for those invisible minims. Now the ball talks to us and tells us. We can see the timing of entries and disputes. Now we will be able to insert the scalpel into situations that are difficult for the human eye to discern. And also for double‑touches in penalties or fouls.”

Ricardo Resta, director of Football Intelligence at LaLiga, praised the project, calling it “the most reliable, most robust technology that exists.”