Football enters the AI era: data-driven coaches, referees and fans at World Cup 2026
Lenovo and FIFA announce AI-based technology solutions for intelligent operations, player and coach support and more immersive fan experiences at FIFA World Cup 2026
LAS VEGAS - At the CES in Las Vegas, football discovers that it is a data sport. Lots of data. Petabytes of passes, sprints, triangles and pinpoint offsides. Lenovo and FIFA, who have decided to turn the 2026 World Cup into the largest artificial intelligence laboratory ever seen on a playing field, are putting them in order.
AI as assistant coach
The iconic novelty is called Football AI Pro. It is not an app. It is a 'digital match analyst'. An assistant that coordinates multiple AI agents, analyses millions of game events and grinds out over 2,000 metrics. In seconds it answers questions that today require staff, time and budget.
Useful metaphor: it is like having an entire video room compressed into a laptop.
Coaches simulating a tactical variation before trying it out. Analysts comparing schemes with clips and 3D avatars. Players receiving personalised feedback, almost like a Garmin with a degree in football tactics.
The key point is 'democratisation'. Same data for all. Even for national teams without super analysis centres. AI, here, plays the social arbiter: it reduces the gap.
