Rio de Janeiro: The 2014 World Cup will represent the first time that goal-line technology has been used at football's showpiece event, but technological advances will also shape the tournament in other ways.


A referee for the Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup uses vanishing spray during the last preparation seminar at Centro de Futebol Zico in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Pic/AFP 

Here, AFP Sports identifies five new technologies that will aid players, officials and fans during the competition, which starts on Thursday: