Football’s wearable technology layer has a newly updated standards guide. FIFA published the September 2026 Application Guide for its Quality Programme for Electronic Performance and Tracking Systems, or EPTS, on September 22.
EPTS covers the camera-based and wearable systems used to measure player and ball position, movement and performance. Depending on the system, that data can be combined with accelerometers, gyroscopes, heart-rate monitors and other sensors.
Wearables have to clear a safety gate
FIFA’s programme separates basic wearable safety from performance testing. Wearable devices must complete an impact-focused safety test before receiving the FIFA Basic mark. FIFA notes that passing the safety test does not by itself certify the accuracy of the information a device produces.
That distinction matters. A sensor worn during competition has two engineering problems to solve: it cannot create an unacceptable injury risk, and its measurements need to be sufficiently reliable for the intended performance or tactical use.
Tracking accuracy gets tested against reference systems
For the FIFA Quality performance standard, systems are evaluated against reference tracking methods including Vicon motion capture for specific football movements and a full-pitch tracking system developed with Victoria University. The goal is to quantify positioning and velocity accuracy under football conditions.
The field is becoming a sensor network
Modern football tracking can involve optical cameras, local positioning systems and GPS/GNSS wearables. Local positioning can provide real-time measurements around a venue, while satellite-based systems can be deployed quickly but face line-of-sight and accuracy challenges inside stadium environments.
FIFA has also worked on a standard EPTS data format intended to make information from different tracking sources and vendors comparable without requiring a separate API for every provider. That interoperability layer becomes increasingly important as clubs, leagues and technology companies combine multiple sensors and analytics platforms.
Rules still matter as sensors improve
The Laws of the Game permit wearable EPTS in official competitions when the competition organizer ensures the attached technology is not dangerous and meets FIFA Quality Programme requirements. When organizers provide the system, they are also responsible for ensuring information transmitted to the technical area is reliable and accurate.
The September 2026 guide is therefore more than paperwork. It sits at the intersection of sports equipment, sensor engineering, wireless data and performance analytics as football becomes increasingly instrumented.
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