Dallas Stadium in Texas, one of the stadiums for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, is seen with lights illuminating the field to promote grass growth, Thursday. AFP-Yonhap
HONG KONG — Artificial intelligence (AI) is set to make its World Cup debut in 2026, as football’s most-watched tournament turns to real-time data models and live 3D simulations to reshape match strategy and event operations.
Each team will have access to its own AI model, allowing analysts to compare playing patterns through video clips and 3D avatars. Coaches will be able to assess how tactical changes might work against their next opponents, while players will receive personalized match analysis.
The system, known as “Football AI Pro,” can analyze hundreds of millions of FIFA data points and process more than 2,000 football-related metrics, including pressing, movement, tactics and transitions. It delivers insights as text explanations, charts or short video clips, and was developed by Lenovo, FIFA's technology partner for the tournament.
“If in the past, rich teams had an advantage, in 2026, AI will democratize data and give everyone a similar chance,” Bank of America Global Research wrote in a May 6 note.
Jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States across 16 cities, the 2026 FIFA World Cup will feature an expanded format of 48 teams and 104 matches. The opening game is scheduled for June 11.
At the mega-event, players will also be digitally scanned in about one second to create accurate 3D versions of their bodies. The technology is expected to make offside decisions more accurately and easier to explain, giving referees better information and helping fans better understand video assistant referee calls.
Each of the 16 stadiums will have a “digital twin,”, or a live virtual copy of the venue. Officials will be able to use the system to monitor crowd movement, security risks and player health data from wearable devices in real time.
SanDisk estimated that the tournament would generate more than 90 petabytes of data, around 45 times the amount produced during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Including social media posts, selfies, mobile interactions and other digital activity, the total could reach unprecedented levels. BofA expects data volumes to reach a record 2 exabytes, roughly equivalent to 45,000 years of 4K video.
“The 2026 World Cup is the first tournament where the data itself is a primary product,” the BofA research team said. “We’re watching a massive, real-time simulation where the physical world is being mirrored by data into data at a rate of several petabytes per week.”
Source: Korea Times News
