There is no single privacy protocol for player-worn cameras across live sports. The rules depend on the competition, who wears the device, what it captures and why it is being used. Official football and rugby rules address wearable-device approval and safety; a separate IFAB trial covers referee-worn cameras for broadcast use. Those rules do not amount to blanket permission to film players or establish universal rules for footage access, retention or deletion.
What counts as a wearable camera—and what does not?
A camera that records video is not the same thing as a wearable electronic performance and tracking system (EPTS). An EPTS may measure movement or physical performance without recording video. A referee body camera used to provide broadcast footage is a different use again. Rules for one category should not be treated as authorization or a privacy policy for another.
| Device or use | Who wears or operates it | Purpose and data | What the cited rules establish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Football EPTS | Player | Performance or tracking information; the cited rules do not establish that it records video or audio. | Safety and quality requirements under IFAB Law 4; UEFA adds equipment conditions for its competitions. |
| Rugby player-monitoring device | Player | Live or recorded movement or physical-performance information. | World Rugby approval and device-compliance requirements, including safety-related specifications. |
| Referee body camera trial | Referee | Camera footage for broadcast use. | A permission-based IFAB/FIFA trial pathway, with protocol guidance on notifying players when the camera is activated. |
| UEFA on-field camera | Camera operator | Player close-ups and other approved activities at specified times. | Competition rules constrain timing, positions and approval; this is not a player-worn live-play camera. |
What rules apply to player-worn devices?
Football: EPTS approval and safety
In the 2025–26 Laws of the Game, IFAB Law 4 says that for official competitions under FIFA, confederation or national-association auspices, the competition organizer must ensure player-attached EPTS is not dangerous and meets FIFA Quality Programme requirements. If the organizer provides EPTS, it is responsible for the reliability and accuracy of information and data sent to the technical area during matches. These provisions concern tracking systems and technical-area data; they do not grant broadcast rights to record players or set general camera-privacy procedures. See IFAB, Law 4 – The Players’ Equipment (2025–26 edition).
UEFA’s Article 43, effective 1 June 2026, allows player-worn EPTS subject to referee approval, provided it is safe and meets International Match Standard (IMS) or FIFA Quality requirements. The items worn must not display team or manufacturer identification or sponsor advertising. These are equipment controls, not a complete privacy policy. See UEFA, Article 43 Wearable electronic performance and tracking systems – Equipment.
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Rugby: approved player-monitoring devices
World Rugby says only player-monitoring devices bearing its Approved mark and listed as compliant may be used in matches. Devices that do not meet the criteria are generally not permitted, although World Rugby describes a trial process for non-compliant devices. Its specification defines a Player Monitoring Device as one worn by a player that can determine live or recorded information about movement or a physical aspect of performance. It addresses ergonomics, construction, sizing, impact attenuation and retention methods, with safety and injury-risk reduction as stated goals. Neither the approval mark nor those design requirements should be mistaken for a rule governing broadcast video footage. See World Rugby, What can be worn? and Approved Equipment: Player Monitoring Devices.
What is allowed for referee-worn broadcast cameras?
IFAB announced on 30 July 2025 that, after tests of referee-worn body cameras for broadcast use at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, it had approved extending the trial to domestic and international competitions worldwide. Competitions that want to participate must seek permission from IFAB and FIFA, which provide recommendations and technical specifications. This is a defined trial pathway for referee cameras, not general authorization for players to wear broadcast cameras. See IFAB, referee body-camera trial announcement (30 July 2025).
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The IFAB bodycam protocol says: “Wherever possible, the referee should always advise the player(s) the bodycam is being activated”. That is guidance for the trial, not a universal consent rule for player-worn cameras or every sport. See IFAB, Bodycam protocol 2023.
How are purpose and broadcast use limited?
Some official notices describe limits for a particular data workflow, rather than for wearable-camera footage generally. FIFA’s privacy notice for professional players taking part in 3D scanning for the 2026 World Cup covers full-body visual data, derived 3D body measurements and limited player identifiers. It says the data are used to create a digital avatar for officiating technology, including semi-automated offside decisions, and related broadcast visualisations. It excludes unrelated commercial or entertainment uses and advertising or marketing. This notice concerns that scanning and avatar workflow; it does not establish rules for ordinary wearable-camera footage. See FIFA, 3D Player Scanning and Avatar Creation.
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Camera placement and timing can also be restricted separately from data use. UEFA’s 2026/27 Champions League rules allow UEFA-approved steadicams and handheld cameras on the field, subject to UEFA guidelines and predefined positions, for close-ups and approved activities during listed periods: matchday minus one, pre-match and post-match, half-time, and penalty shoot-outs. These operator-held cameras are not permission for player-worn devices during live play. See UEFA, E.2.14 On-field cameras – Champions League.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What remains competition-specific?
The official materials described here do not set one cross-sport rule for who can access wearable-camera footage, how long it is kept, when it must be deleted, or how individual player consent works. Nor do the EPTS requirements settle whether a particular broadcast camera may be used. To assess a specific match, check the competition’s rules and notices for the device type, its wearer, the data it captures, the approving authority, its stated purpose and any access or retention terms. Where those documents do not specify a privacy safeguard, it should not be assumed.
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