Overview
- The DFB confirmed a sensor-equipped official ball will be used in the DFB-Pokal final on 23 May at 20:00 in Berlin, when Bayern Munich face holders VfB Stuttgart live on ARD and Sky.
- The Derbystar iBall incorporates Kinexon’s Connected Ball Technology, embedding a sensor inside the match ball.
- The DFB says the sensor captures contacts, speed, trajectory, and rotation in real time without changing the ball’s weight, flight, bounce, or overall feel.
- The data will feed VAR checks and the semi-automated offside system, and it will power richer tactical analysis and live TV statistics for viewers.
- By contrast, Bundesliga goal-line and offside tools currently rely on camera systems without a chip in the ball, and referee Sven Jablonski has been appointed to officiate the final.