Technology

New Euro 2024 ball includes built-in technology to assist in VAR decisions

BERLIN — Organizers of Euro 2024 on Wednesday unveiled the official ball for the continental tournament next year, with its colorful pattern designed to reflect the energy of the event and with built-in technology to assist in VAR decisions.

Tournament director Philipp Lahm, along with others including Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, led the reveal of the Adidas-made "Fussballliebe" (love of football) on the Maifeld, next to Berlin's Olympic stadium, where the final will be played on July 14.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Saudi prince announce annual Esports World Cup with huge prize pool

RIYADH – Saudi Arabia said on Monday it was launching an annual Esports World Cup, which will include the most popular games in the world and have the largest prize pool in esports history.

The competition will be held annually in Riyadh starting summer 2024, a statement from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said.

Clubs will compete across games from various genres to become the ultimate Esports World Cup champion, the statement said. 

AI has given us the chance to hear what Lionel Messi would sound like if he spoke English

Lionel Messi speaking English in a press conference is something that fans are unlikely to ever hear in real life. AI (artificial intelligence) has given us a glimpse to what it would look like if the Argentine superstar did speak English fluently.

Argentinian AI creator Javi Fernandez used AI to generate Messi speaking English during one of his recent press conferences.

Chrono glasses or dancing all night? Teams share their jet lag antidotes for the World Cup

Jet lag is no joke. And teams arriving in Australia and New Zealand for the upcoming Women's World Cup are trying to deal with the issue the best way they can. Some even have shared online their antidotes against the annoyance. And boy! There are some different approaches out there.

Chrono glasses 

England chose technology. On the trip down to Oceania, the Lioness wore a gadget called chrono glasses, which promises "more energy and better sleep" when time zone differences mess up with your body.

No more FIFA: First look at EA SPORTS FC on July 13 along with playable demo

Billed as "the next chapter in The World's Game," the hype surrounding Electronic Arts' latest edition of its beloved soccer video game has never been greater, and that's all driven by the shift from what was expected (FIFA 24) to a brave new world of licensing (EA SPORTS FC).

Secret agent José Mourinho wears wire to protect himself against refs during Roma match

AS Roma manager José Mourinho stole a move straight out of the pages of a spy novel when he wore a wire on the touchline during his team's 1-1 draw at Monza in Serie A on Wednesday, which he said was to protect himself from the match officials.

Mourinho, who is no stranger to clashes with referees, tore into Daniele Chiffi after the game, describing the 38-year-old official as "the worst I've ever encountered."

UCLA unveils their new robot ARTEMIS — it’s over four feet tall and knows how to play soccer

Watch out, Lionel Messi. ARTEMIS is here.

Standing at 4 feet, 8 inches tall and weighing 85 pounds, ARTEMIS is a first-of-its-kind robot that University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) mechanical engineers developed, and it is ready for the pitch.

Using cutting edge technology, ARTEMIS, which stands for Advanced Robotic Technology for Enhanced Mobility and Improved Stability, can maintain its balance against heavy kicks and shoves, withstand objects being thrown at it and is capable of running. But what sets ARTEMIS apart on top of that is its ability to kick a ball.

Must-see video of mic'd up referee from Ligue 1 reminds fans that officials are people too

Early Thursday morning, Amazon Prime Video Sport released a video on social media highlighting the difficulties and intricacies involved in being a top-flight match official. The clip showed Benoît Millot, a French referee taking control of a Ligue 1 match between Olympique Lyonnais and FC Nantes, and gave fans a great insight into what match officials go through over 90 minutes. 

Google AI simply instructed to score uses self-learning to devise new techniques, tactics

On Sunday's episode of 60 Minutes, correspondent Scott Pelley visited Google's AI lab in London for a segment looking at how the company was getting robots to play soccer.

The robots weren't programmed by humans — they learned the game themselves after only being instructed to score goals. From there the AI program went about devouring motion capture technology and testing different moves for about two weeks.

Through this system of trial and error, the robots just got better and better with more practice.

FIFA 23 competitor releases impressive new gameplay video

Is 2023 the year we finally, finally feel the winds of competition start to blow across the landscape of soccer video games? For far too long FIFA has stood virtually unopposed as the sole proprietor of allowing us to live out our dreams of hitting the post five times in three seconds. 

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