Argentine soccer’s AFA governing body has renewed and expanded its partnership with prominent sport technology firm Genius Sports, a move that will introduce ‘semi-automated offside’ systems to the domestic top-flight Primera División.
The expanded partnership will see the AFA leverage Genius Sports’ GeniusIQ offering to institute semi-automated offside tech (SAOT) across every Primera División game, supported by automated visuals for TV coverage.
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Speaking on the announcement, AFA president Claudio Tapia said: “Genius Sports has developed and launched the most advanced SAOT in world football with proven results across the biggest leagues, and we’re delighted to expand our partnership with them.”
The partnership will facilitate GeniusIQ, the firm’s data and AI platform, which combines tracking, video, and insights to power semi-automated offsides, as well as real-time advertising activations, augmented broadcasts, and data-driven coaching tools.
In addition to SAOT, the utilization of GeniusIQ will allow Genius and the AFA to collaborate on further tech enhancements down the line, the body says, creating a “foundation for further innovation.”
On that element, Genius Sports chief commercial strategy officer commented: “We're establishing the infrastructure for a much bigger opportunity: to unlock new insights for teams, richer experiences for broadcasters and entirely new ways for fans to engage with the game. That's the future we're building with partners like AFA, where a single technology platform can create value across the entire football ecosystem."
This agreement will begin with the December 12 final of the Torneo Clausura, the closing half of the 2026 Primera season, and will ramp up throughout next year leading up to the July kick-off of the Torneo Clausura 2027.
Genius Sports and the AFA first partnered in 2019 in what was then a deal based around Genius Sports’ betting integrity services.
In 2021, Genius Sports expanded the agreement to include betting data and live streaming rights across all 13 AFA-run competitions.
