The Round of 16 match of the 2026 World Cup between the national teams of Portugal and Croatia went down in history not only as a tense confrontation but also as the first instance where the fate of the game was decided thanks to revolutionary technology embedded directly into the ball. In stoppage time, in the 90+13th minute, the Croatians scored a goal that could have changed the course of the tournament — but it was disallowed. And the reason was not human error, but data from sensors inside the ball.
The Comeback That Never Happened
Manchester City defender Joško Gvardiol sent the ball into the Portuguese net, giving hope for a sensation. Croatia, it seemed, had achieved an incredible comeback. However, after a long VAR review, the main referee disallowed the goal — due to an offside position. The decision sparked a storm of controversy among fans and experts, but FIFA quickly clarified the situation.
Technology That 'Hears' Touches
In an official statement, the FIFA press service explained: the decision was made based on data from the Connected Ball Technology integrated into the official World Cup ball — the Trionda. Inside the ball are high-precision IMU sensors capable of recording any, even minimal, touch — down to the millimeter and millisecond.
"According to data obtained using the Connected Ball Technology embedded in the Trionda ball, it was proven that Igor Matanović touched the ball before it reached Mario Pašalić (who was in an offside position), which allowed the referee to correctly determine the offside and disallow the goal," RBC-Ukraine quotes the FIFA statement.
The Ball's 'Heartbeat' on Screen
For viewers, this moment was particularly spectacular: during the broadcast, the contact was displayed as a graphic image of a "heartbeat" — a visualization of the signal from the sensors. This allowed the referees to receive an unprecedented volume of precise data in real-time and make a quick, well-founded decision.
Portugal Moves On, Croatia Goes Home
Thanks to the disallowed goal in the 13th minute of added time, the Portuguese national team held onto their 2-1 victory and successfully passed the first round of the playoffs. Now, Cristiano Ronaldo's team awaits a principled Iberian derby — in the Round of 16, the Portuguese will play against the Spanish national team.
The match is scheduled for Monday, July 6, starting at 22:00 Kyiv time. The game promises to be one of the most anticipated in the tournament.
AI Has Already Named the Favorites
Earlier, artificial intelligence, analyzing team statistics and form, named the main favorites for the 2026 World Cup "gold" before the start of the playoffs. Portugal is among the top candidates — especially after such a dramatic, yet technologically justified success.
This match was not just a sporting event — it marked a new era in football, where technology becomes not just an assistant, but a decisive factor. The ball no longer just flies — it "speaks". And its voice was heard by everyone.
