Bosnia-Italy, Goal Line Technology and semi-automatic offside will not be there: the reason why

The final of Path A of the UEFA playoffs for the 2026 World Cup between Bosnia and Italy, scheduled to be played tonight at the Bilino Polje stadium in Zenica, will be played without Goal Line Technology, the support that indicates to the referee, in real time, whether the ball has actually crossed the goal line or not. This is a surprising choice because of the importance of what is at stake, but one that finds precise explanations in UEFA regulations and the conditions of the Bosnian facility.

The heart of the matter, then, is the stadium that will host the match. The Bilino Polje, which was opened in 1972 and renovated in 2012 according to standard criteria to fall under UEFA Category 3, has no facilities suitable for hosting the GLT. This is not simply a lack of equipment: the infrastructure itself does not allow the installation of the system, which requires precise placements of cameras and sensors, as well as a stable wireless network. This is a known and acknowledged limitation: UEFA had no choice but to take note of it.

To this is added the regulatory element, which stipulates that Goal Line Technology is not mandatory. Its activation depends on the host federation, which must guarantee its technical and economic availability. In Italy, in the Bergamo semifinal against Northern Ireland, the FIGC had provided a full package of technological support, including GLT. In Bosnia, on the other hand, the local federation did not provide for the use of the system, and UEFA does not impose a generalized obligation.

There will be, for the same reasons, no semi-automatic offside (SAOT), although the absence of these tools does not imply total disconnection from the technology: referee Clement Turpin will be able to rely on “old-fashioned” VAR and on-field review, to assess any controversial episodes. Reviews will be based on available images, then, and not on automatic systems for ghost goals and offside. A difference from what we have become accustomed to that, in such a sensitive match, can only cause discussion.