What is the Snicko technology used in the 2026 FIFA World Cup match between Portugal and Croatia?

Portugal defeated Croatia 2-1 in their Round of 32 match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Toronto to book their place in the Round of 16, where they will face Spain.

Croatia thought they had forced extra time deep into stoppage time when Ruben Neves turned the ball into his own net, but the goal was ultimately ruled out for offside after a VAR review.

The assessment also included the use of ‘Snicko’ technology, best known for its widespread use in cricket, to determine whether a Croatian attacker had made contact with the ball in the build-up to goal.

The technology has been part of the FIFA World Cup VAR system since the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

“According to data from Connected Ball Technology, housed in the Adidas Trionda, the official match ball of the World Cup, it was proven that contact was made by Croatian Igor Matanović in the build-up to the goal against Portugal, allowing the referee to correctly determine offside and disallow the goal,” FIFA said.

“IMU sensors housed within the Trionda ball are able to determine every tiny contact, displayed to viewers on-air as a ‘heart rate graph’, giving officials an unprecedented level of data to make quick, accurate decisions.”

Its primary purpose is to assist with offside calls, but it can also detect whether a player has touched the ball.

Published on July 3, 2026