How FIFA Plans to Use AI at the 2026 World Cup

FIFA and technology partner Lenovo plan to use several AI-assisted systems at the 2026 World Cup, including a football analysis assistant for participating teams, stabilized referee-camera footage, 3D player models for offside graphics, and an operations platform.

AI will support specific workflows; it will not “run the World Cup” by itself. Match decisions, security, venue operations, team analysis, and broadcasting remain the responsibility of people and established systems.

Why the 2026 tournament is a difficult operation

The tournament expands to 48 teams and 104 matches across Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Coordinating venues, training sites, broadcasters, transport, technology, and match data across three countries creates a larger information problem than at previous World Cups.

FIFA plans to manage more of the central operation directly, making shared data and real-time monitoring important. Any AI layer still depends on reliable networks, consistent definitions, access controls, and manual fallback procedures.

Football AI Pro for the 48 teams

Football AI Pro is described as a specialized assistant built with FIFA's football data and intended for all participating teams. It can help staff explore match information and produce pre- or post-match analysis in formats such as text, charts, video, or 3D views.

The goal is to give every team a common analytical foundation, including federations that do not have the large data departments of the best-funded national programs. The tool is not intended to advise coaches during live play, and its output remains an aid rather than an authoritative tactical answer.

Useful evaluation questions include whether the system cites the underlying event data, handles multiple languages consistently, distinguishes observed data from inference, and gives teams control over confidential analysis.

AI-stabilized Referee View

Referee View uses a small camera worn by the match official to create a first-person broadcast angle. The rapid movement of a referee can make raw footage difficult to watch, so the updated system uses AI-assisted stabilization.

This view may help audiences understand positioning and the speed of an incident, but it is primarily a broadcast feed. A referee's camera cannot always see contact, player positions, or the best angle for a decision, and it should not be confused with the full set of video-assistant-referee cameras.

3D player models and offside explanations

FIFA also plans to use player scans to create more individualized 3D avatars for semi-automated offside visualizations. The aim is to represent body position more clearly when a decision is shown to viewers.

The visualization is not the same as the decision process. Tracking systems identify player and ball positions, officials review the relevant moment and body parts, and the rendered animation communicates the outcome. Clearer graphics can improve understanding, but accuracy still depends on calibration, frame selection, and the underlying tracking data.

An intelligent operations center

A central platform is intended to combine status information from matches, stadiums, departments, and broadcast partners. AI may help summarize incidents, identify anomalies, and direct staff to relevant data.

This is an operational support function, not autonomous control. High-impact actions—such as changing a schedule, closing an area, handling a security alert, or issuing public information—require named decision-makers and auditable procedures.

What to watch during the tournament

• Reliability: Do tools continue to work across venues, languages, and peak demand?
• Transparency: Can teams and officials trace an AI output to the original data?
• Fair access: Do all 48 teams receive comparable tools, training, and support?
• Privacy: How are player scans, tactical data, and operational information retained and shared?
• Fallbacks: Can established match and venue processes continue when an AI service is unavailable?

If Football AI Pro proves useful, FIFA could later extend similar analysis to member associations or fans. That possibility should be assessed separately after the World Cup, based on real usage, accuracy, cost, and governance rather than launch demonstrations alone.