2026 World Cup: football in the age of AI

From 3D players to data-transmitting balls, the sport’s biggest tournament is awash with technology to help with everything from offside decisions to viewer angles, but does this come at a cost?

Nash

2026 World Cup: football in the age of AI

Marco Mossad

last update on 09 Jun 2026

From stadiums to conferences, concerts to exhibitions, artificial intelligence (AI) has become part of the experience of big events, and the 2026 World Cup is no exception. AI now helps organise crowds, analyse performance, assist referees, improve audience experience, strengthen security, and shape the images viewers see, to name but a few.

The 2026 World Cup, which is being co-hosted by Canada, the United States, and Mexico, will include a ‘smart ball’ that transmits instant data, three-dimensional (3D) digital models of players, AI tools that help coaches with analysis, and new viewing angles that bring fans closer to the details of the match.

Football fans have had a controversial experience with video technology since VAR (video-assisted referee) entered the game in recent years. The aim was to reduce refereeing errors by offering the on-field referee a second chance to review their decisions with the help of video from a different angle, if the VAR felt it would help, but this has led to delays in the game and a loss of momentum for the attacking team. Moments of celebration increasingly become decisions of technical dispute.

In 2026, however, the trend is to move from video reviews to building an entire system based on the smart ball, digital models, AI, and data analysis. FIFA, world football’s governing body, is moving towards the use of AI and data within the details of the match itself, from the movement of the ball to the position of the player (such as for offside decisions), as well as for performance analysis and viewing experience.

Using data

FIFA has said that the ball (called Trionda) is fitted with a 500 Hz motion-sensor chip that sends precise data to the VAR system in real time. This helps determine the exact moment that the ball is touched—a crucial reference in decisions such as offside, handball, and incidents inside the penalty area. The ball is therefore now part of the data collection system, to be used alongside semi-automated offside technology.

This allows offside decisions to be made more quickly, especially in clear cases. The system used at the 2022 World Cup sent information directly to the VAR room, but in 2026, clear incidents will be sent directly to the match officials on the pitch. This means the assistant referees can raise their flags more quickly, rather than waiting for a longer review from the video room. The hope is to improve the flow of play.

Reuters/Paul Childs — Referee Anastasios Sidiropoulos checks the VAR screen before awarding England a penalty on 14 October 2025.

The accuracy of an offside decision depends not only on knowing the player’s position in relation to others, and on identifying the moment the ball is passed. This is where the integration of the connected ball, cameras, and digital player models becomes important. Each element adds a layer of information for the referee, who remains present in situations that require interpretation or judgement.

One of the most notable features expected this year is the creation of 3D digital player models. FIFA has explained that every player taking part in the tournament will undergo a 3D scan, after which the player’s image and digital version will be integrated into the semi-automated offside system, because offside may be called because of a shoulder, head, or foot—not just a player’s general position on the pitch.

Every player will undergo a 3D scan, after which the player's image and digital version will be integrated into the semi-automated offside system

The digital model therefore helps read the player's body more accurately, especially during fast, crowded incidents in the penalty area. Instead of seeing rigid lines on the screen, viewers see a 3D replay that more closely resembles the players' real appearance, making the decision clearer.

The hope here is to increase trust in decision-making. One of the problems with digital decisions in football is that supporters sometimes do not understand how the referee arrived at a decision, especially inside the stadium, where the crowd cannot see all the angles available to viewers at home. FIFA is therefore trying to improve how the decision is presented, not only how it is made.

REUTERS/Jennifer Gauthier — A drone image of Science World, which has been transformed into a 360-degree, 40-metre-diameter re-creation of a match ball ahead of the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on 3 June 2026.

AI assistance

AI at the 2026 tournament will not stop at refereeing. FIFA and Lenovo (a technology company) have unveiled Football AI Pro, an AI assistant designed to support the participating teams, letting them analyse matches before and after they are played using text, video clips, graphics, and 3D visualisations. The idea is that all 48 teams have access to advanced analytical capabilities, rather than such tools being available only to teams with larger budgets and more technical staff.

For coaches, this could change the way they prepare for matches. They can use AI tools to understand player movement, pressing zones, positional errors, how attacks are built, and how opponents exploit space. Coaching decisions can therefore be based on more data and faster analysis.

Among the newer technologies is the ability to see the action from the referee's perspective, using AI image processing to stabilise the shot and reduce shaking and blurring caused by the referee's movement. This angle gives viewers a different sense of the match, since most camera angles are either above or to the side of the pitch. It puts the viewer closer to the speed and sightlines of the action.

Alongside this, the 2026 World Cup will rely on a wider layer of cameras and optical tracking inside stadiums. These systems generate large volumes of data on player and ball movement and are used in refereeing, analysis, and broadcasting. Movement can be understood from multiple angles, and incidents can be turned into data-rich models. In this way, the tournament becomes a vast digital space.

REUTERS/Bing Guan — A drone flies over an Emergency Response Drill at MetLife Stadium, ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026, in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on 18 April 2026.

A global trend

Other sports have already begun using similar tools in analysis, broadcasting, athlete protection, and crowd management. In tennis, Wimbledon has used AI to improve the viewing experience, with IBM providing AI-supported audio commentary on highlights and a tool that shows players' possible routes through the tournament. The National Basketball Association uses optical player and ball-tracking systems, providing data to coaches, players, fans, and broadcasters to help analyse speed, distances, defensive movements, shooting zones, and how attacks are built.

Outside the action, the International Olympic Committee used an AI-supported system during the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, designed to protect athletes and officials from online abuse. The system monitored thousands of accounts across social media platforms in more than 35 languages in real time, detecting and addressing abuse before it reached athletes.

All these examples show that AI is now present in more than one sport, but the football World Cup every four years remains the most widely viewed sporting event and the most influential in popular culture. The biggest challenge remains one of balance. Technology can make sport fairer, better organised, and clearer, but it may also raise concerns, including the loss of spontaneity, flow, momentum, interpretation, and context-dependent decision-making that can be important factors.

The question, therefore, is not how advanced the technological tools are but how they are used. The success of AI in sport will come down not just to its ability to collect data, but to its ability to serve the game without stripping it of its soul.

+ / -