The future of football will be revealed at the World Cup in Qatar with virtual reality showing heatmaps and replays LIVE at the match

IT IS soccer, but for Gen Z.

A dizzying download of data laid out on the playing field before your eyes.

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But this is not a vision of a high-tech future.

It’s the here and now of the World Cup and offers a glimpse of how fans will follow the game for years to come.

Any fan attending a match here in Qatar can download the FIFA+ app onto their smartphone, opening the door to a whole different approach.

You can get teams in their formations, text updates, real-time stats, an overview of the competition and video clips after the games have been completed.

The real eye-opener, however, comes when you point your camera at the pitch in front of you.

Because you can instantly recognize the venue, you have a choice of as-it-happening graphics.

If you want to know how far Marcus Rashford or Harry Maguire ran, how many passes were made or even how many passes were misplaced, the app will tell you.

But you can also get heatmaps that show exactly where individual players or entire teams dominated or played outside the park.

In fact, there’s almost too much information, although it’s absolutely brilliant for the tactical nerd who wants to break down exactly how teams lined up to beat their opponents.

And there’s no reason why it couldn’t be introduced in the Prem as well.

Where there is a will, there’s a way.