LALIGA EA SPORTS set to make league-wide Connected Ball rollout

LALIGA EA SPORTS will become the first national professional football league in the world to use Connected Ball technology across every match, beginning with the opening round of the 2026-27 season.

The system, developed in partnership with PUMA and KINEXON, will be introduced in August and used in close coordination with the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA). It will operate across all LALIGA EA SPORTS fixtures alongside Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology and Semi-Automated Offside Technology (SAOT).

LALIGA says the move is intended to strengthen the accuracy, transparency and confidence associated with decision-making and competition-wide processes. The league’s decision to apply the technology throughout its fixture list will also reinforce its position as a global leader in football innovation, technological development and sporting integrity.

Rather than being limited to selected matches or specific situations, Connected Ball technology will form part of the technical framework used across the entire LALIGA EA SPORTS competition. Its introduction alongside VAR and SAOT represents a further step in the league’s wider use of technology within professional football.

The initiative also reflects LALIGA’s continuing commitment to developing the audiovisual experience around its competitions. The league said it would help shape the way supporters, exclusive broadcast partners and digital platforms follow football.

By making the technology available in every match, LALIGA is presenting Connected Ball as a league-wide project rather than an isolated trial. The planned implementation from the first round of the 2026-27 campaign means the system will be incorporated into the competition from the start of the new season.

The collaboration with PUMA and KINEXON will be carried out in close coordination with the CTA, linking the new ball technology to the existing officiating structure. VAR and SAOT are already identified as part of the system’s integration, with the combined approach designed to support greater precision and transparency across LALIGA EA SPORTS.

LALIGA’s announcement places the competition at the forefront of the global football technology landscape. It will be the first national professional league worldwide to deploy Connected Ball technology on such a broad basis, with every match included in the rollout.

The league has also framed the project as part of its ongoing efforts to improve how football is consumed beyond the stadium. Supporters and the competition’s exclusive broadcasters and digital platforms are expected to form part of that broader audiovisual development, as LALIGA continues to examine how technology can influence the way its matches are followed.

The Connected Ball system will therefore be introduced as part of a wider technological programme, alongside VAR and SAOT, rather than as a standalone change to match operations. Its use will begin with the opening round of the 2026-27 season and extend across all LALIGA EA SPORTS matches.