Referee Body Camera Footage to be Shown During Live Games at Soccer Tournament
A new soccer tournament making its debut in the United States this summer will see the referees wear body cameras for the first time.
The inaugural FIFA Club World Cup, a competition that begins on June 15 in Miami, will attach body cams to officals so that fans get an “unprecedented view of on-field action,” according to FIFA.
The footage will be used by the tournament’s global broadcaster DAZN during live broadcasts and fans at the stadium will get the benefit of watching the footage live on giant screens.
“We think that 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,” says Pierluigi Collina, chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee.
“It also has a purpose in terms of referee coaching because, of course, having the possibility to see what the referee sees is important in the debriefing, to evaluate how the call was made by the referee. So, it’s a combination of a new experience for broadcasters and also for coaching purposes.”
FIFA recently shared referee body camera footage to give fans a sense of what they can expect. The immersive clip, taken from a FIFA Intercontinental Cup game between Botafogo and Pachuca, shows the ref’s perspective of a sumptuous goal. It’s a style of footage that modern viewers are used to seeing on social media via influencers and action camera videos.
Referee body camera in action. We can expect to see more of this at @FIFACWC :soccer:️
Footage from Botafogo vs. Pachuca in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup 2024™ where body cameras were trialled. #TakeItToTheWorld | #FIFACWC | #FootballUnitesTheWorld pic.twitter.com/A30PiFDDA1
— FIFA Media (@fifamedia) June 6, 2025
It is not the first time that soccer has experimented with this type of POV (point of view) footage. In 2023, the Premier League strapped a camera to two players during a summer friendly. The cameras were stitched into players’ GPS vests and a hole was cut in the jersey to give the lens an adequate viewing space. They were also mic’d up, allowing for a fully immersive view from the couch.
And last year the Premier League trialed “RefCam” during a match between Crystal Palace and Manchester United. The resulting footage is a fascinating perspective on a game that millions love and know well, perhaps this is what fans can look forward to at the Club World Cup this summer.
Image credits: FIFA Media.
