La Liga will introduce balls with sensors: the technology was used at the 2026 World Cup

The Spanish La Liga will use balls with Connected Ball technology from the 2026/27 season. The built-in radio frequency sensor will transmit information about the position of the ball and the moments of contact with it in real time. The new system will be used in all matches in Spain's top division and will work together with VAR and semi-automatic offside detection technology. In this way, La Liga will be the first national league to introduce the Connected Ball in all matches of its elite division. Before starting to use the technology, referees will undergo special training under the guidance of the Technical Committee of Referees. It is expected that from the 2027/28 season, the system will also be used in Segunda. The sensor was developed by Kinexon, after which it was integrated into the official Puma ball. The signal from it will be received by about 12 antennas installed in each stadium. The received data will be integrated into the technological system of La Liga. The league expects that the innovation will make it much more accurate to determine the moment a football player touches the ball. This is especially important in episodes where a difference of even a few milliseconds can affect the referee's decision. "By accurately determining the moment of contact of the player with the ball, the system significantly reduces uncertainty in situations where a few milliseconds can be decisive. This helps to make more objective decisions in situations related to offsides, handball, deviations and touches, corner assignments, double touches and other episodes where it is important to accurately determine the moment of contact," La Liga said. Connected Ball technology has already been used during the 2026 World Cup.