The NWSL Popularized the Refcam Before Its World Cup Moment. Here’s How It Works

While the refereeing technology took soccer by storm this summer, years of planning and trial runs went into refining the experience for officials and viewers alike.

The Refcam earned widespread praise at this summer’s men’s World Cup. | Catherine Ivill/AMA/Getty Images

Katja Koroleva has got the best seat in the house for soccer matches. She’s right in the action, watching every pass, every foul, every goal—keeping up with elite athletes and making split-second decisions that influence the outcome of the game. As a professional referee, she is judge and jury. And now with the advent of the Refcam, she is also a camera operator, bringing fans of the beautiful game even closer to the action.

Koroleva was hesitant at first. As with any new technology, she had questions about how it would shape the game, and how the captured interactions between referees and players would be perceived. But it didn’t take long to convince her of the Refcam’s potential.

“It wasn’t until really I discussed this with my family and friends that are just soccer fans, who told me they think it’s the most engaging, fun aspect of a view [they’ve] never had access to,” Koroleva says. 

“And so all the negative connotations that I associated with it, about seeing my mistakes firsthand and [risking] these intimate relationships, they felt the opposite. They wanted to see athletes in these moments, and so I’ve completely kind of turned around about it.”

During the 2025 season, the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) jumped at the opportunity to trial the Refcam at select games. The league then moved to bring the technology into the 2026 season by working with bodycam provider MindFly, which has also been used by Major League Soccer and the English Premier League, becoming the first professional women’s league to use the technology. 

The Premier League used a Mindfly bodycam last season to bring viewers closer to the action. | Stu Forster/Getty Images

“What you’re trying to do as a league is you’re always trying to build and see what new avenues can be brought to the league to generate fan interest,” says Devin Morgan, NWSL senior manager of sporting. “We’re always trying to bring in technology to improve officiating and improve the fan experience, and I think that’s what a Refcam does to a significant degree.”

This summer, the Refcam took center stage at the 2026 men’s World Cup, providing an intimate, on-field look at the match’s biggest moments while adding to the excitement of the broadcasts. The Refcam will also be utilized at next year’s Women’s World Cup in Brazil. This season the NWSL, which has an agreement with MindFly to lease the equipment, tries to implement the technology in one game per week with the hope of ramping that up in the future. 

But as referees began wearing the technology during games, the biggest challenge was the adjustment period that involved the physical aspect of putting on and wearing the new tech while running several miles during a game. 

“How is this component going to possibly take away from my fitness? How is it going to bounce? Is it going to fit? Is it going to be a distraction?” Koroleva recalls thinking. “Those were all the biggest concerns and questions.”

Ref cam of Lionel Messi’s missed PK 👀

(via @FOXSports) pic.twitter.com/fZZtsWul47

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) June 22, 2026

Similar to players, the referee’s prematch rituals are essential for match preparation. The locker room is a sacred space. Now, referees must welcome in technicians who fit the technology onto each referee to ensure it is just right. 

“For me, it’s a big mental prep of just allowing for that space, allowing for a few meetings or a communication with my team to take place before [the technicians] come in,” Koroleva says. “Then once it’s secure and fastened on your body, it’s kind of forgetting it and moving forward with the game and focusing on the job.”

The actual technology is more than just the lens worn around the head. And though the gear used by the NWSL is a different brand than what was used at this summer’s World Cup, the process is the same.

Putting on the camera takes only minutes, as I got to experience firsthand prior to July’s Queens Classic between Gotham and the Washington Spirit at Citi Field. A vest holds the camera technology itself as a pack on the back with wires that come up and connect to the lens and microphone that sit around the head and tuck around the ears like headphones. Two technicians place the vest over the head and fasten it so the referee only feels the weight of the camera pack that sits high on the back between the shoulder blades, snuggled in a pocket on the vest. The camera lens is extremely light and not particularly bothersome, although referees with long hair have had to adjust their styles to accommodate the headpiece.

Most importantly, the technicians have to make sure the entire apparatus is secure so the referee can enter the match without having to worry about adjusting anything during play.

A Refcam technician fits the referee with Mindfly gear before every game, as he demonstrated to our writer. | Courtesy of Jenna Tonelli

“We tested multiple vendors, three or four, before we landed on MindFly,” says Meg Buchan, the NWSL vice president of broadcast production and operations. “We find their equipment is the most comfortable for the officials to wear which allows them to do their job and move freely as they would without it.” 

Throughout the season, the NWSL has found a multitude of uses for Refcam footage. The views are fed into VAR, allowing for additional views on decisions, and is also used in training and development of referees to help fine-tune their craft. 

Then, in real time, the footage is used selectively in NWSL broadcasts to help add another layer to the entertainment value of the sport.

Refcam really unmatched pic.twitter.com/eD62LcfMzD

— Jenna Tonelli (@jennatonelli) July 21, 2026

“The Refcam is a perfect example of how we want to bring viewers closer to the game,” Buchan says. “When we meet with our broadcast partners the word that comes up most often is intimacy—fans crave it with the game that they’re watching, and Refcam gives you that, dropping the viewer right in the middle of the pitch.” 

Since the NWSL started adding the Refcam to select games, Buchan has seen just how eagerly fans have engaged with the content. The secret behind its success is simple: The Refcam gives fans that up-close look at players, their skill and their personalities in a way that is not usually captured by traditional broadcast angles. The footage has been incredibly successful both during matches and on social media.

“We’re happy to be able to provide [fans on social media] with this added point of view and look,” Buchan says. “With the Marta example, just seeing that personality from her and that passion she has, that’s things fans connect to.” 

New Marta ref cam reaction unlocked 🔓 pic.twitter.com/dzjaQRP5h6

— The Women's Game (@WomensGameMIB) July 4, 2026

To protect referees and players, there are league rules around the usage of Refcam footage for broadcasters, such as removing the sound and not showing injuries. However, directors can roll Refcam footage during live matches and replays, which has been especially well-received when showing goals. 

“I do believe it’s such a great asset to our sport,” Koroleva says. “It gives an insight and a lens into a different view and different perspective of the story, and there’s some really fun GIFs that come out of it.” 

For Morgan, the entertainment value that the Refcam angle adds is an unmatched addition to fan experience. The angle also gives fans a new perspective on the incredible athleticism on display from the players.

“I think that is incredibly valuable from a fan perspective, to be able to say, ‘Oh if I was a defensive midfielder on the field, this is what I would have seen?’ ” Morgan says. “It really illustrates how explosive and technically gifted NWSL players are, and then tangentially shows the athleticism that’s required to be an elite referee and keep up with the likes of a Sophia Wilson or Trinity Rodman while running full speed and making split-second decisions.”

POV: You're on the field watching Haley Hopkins score in stoppage time

(🎥 Thank you ref cam!) pic.twitter.com/uaIu3wDoeW

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 24, 2026

When it comes to referee development, the ability to review this footage during training can give additional insight into how the referees can better place themselves to have better views of incidents during the match. 

For Koroleva, the Refcam has not only provided her with analysis points for development, but has also given her further confidence in her in-game decision-making capabilities.

“I think the fear was a broadcaster is going to replay the exact same view that we had, and the decision is wrong, but we’ve been seeing through some aspects of VAR is that we’re really good at making decisions and fans are really becoming more impressed about this 100% live-action shot, one view that we get and our decision-making capabilities from this one single vantage point,” Koroleva says. 

“It’s proven that we are good at our jobs, and we’ve embraced it. Our capabilities of making decisions at 100% speed is now what we’re showcasing to fans all over the world.”

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