This year’s FIFA World Cup is historic on many levels, from its new 48-team format to the total of 104 games played starting June 11.
It’s a tournament for the ages and who needs help behind the scenes to deliver insights, innovation and more.
Lenovo, the global technology powerhouse that serves as FIFA’s Official Technology Partner, is helping provide AI solutions to power the World Cup this summer at host venues in North America and around the world.
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Lenovo is the official technology partner of FIFA in the run-up to the 2026 World Cup. (Lenovo/Fox News)
“The FIFA World Cup represents the largest global sports stage and one of the most complex technology environments in the world,” Jeff Shafer, senior vice president of corporate marketing and chief communications officer at Lenovo, told Fox Business in an exclusive statement. “As the official technology partner of the tournament, Lenovo is helping deliver an event that will connect billions of fans across 16 venues and three countries, where performance and reliability must be impeccable every moment of every match.
“For us, this partnership goes well beyond putting our logo on the field; it’s an opportunity to demonstrate how Lenovo’s complete portfolio — from devices and infrastructure to AI-driven solutions and services — can deliver at the largest possible scale and under the most intense pressure. If our technology can help power the world’s biggest tournament, it can help organizations solve their toughest challenges, wherever they are.
As Shafer says, this partnership goes far beyond just the visual presence Lenovo will have during FIFA World Cup matches. This is a set of technology solutions that both entities have worked on together to impact all areas of the game, starting with the historic announcement of Football AI Pro.
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Co-developed by FIFA and Lenovo, Football AI Pro will provide unprecedented access to millions of data points and more than 2,000 performance metrics for every team participating in the World Cup, with strong privacy guarantees. The insight and analysis that can be done by coaches, players and analysts can help level the playing field for teams that don’t have the same resources as big clubs like FranceEngland and the United States
“With Football AI Pro, we will democratize access to data by providing the most comprehensive set of football analytics to all competing teams and soon to fans as well,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement. “But of course, this is just the beginning, so fans should stay tuned for the most exciting developments in Football AI and other innovations, as FIFA and Lenovo create unforgettable experiences in the months and years to come.”
While teams will use the tool on and off the field, one of Lenovo and FIFA’s most visible AI applications will be seen during matches: digital avatars.
Argentina striker Lionel Messi (10) kisses the World Cup trophy after winning the 2022 World Cup final against France at Lusail Stadium. (Yukihito Taguchi/USA Today Sports/IMAGN)
3D avatars of the players attending the tournament will be produced using 3D assets and Advanced GenAI technology, which will help enhance the efficiency of the decision-making process taken by referees during matches. In just six seconds, a player will enter a circle filled with cameras that scan their body to construct the 3D asset, which will be used in key situations.
For example, during an offside replay during a match, 3D animations will appear on screen, providing greater visual contextualization for fans watching at home and in the stadium. The digital avatars will reproduce the individual physical dimensions of the competing players.
“AI-enabled 3D avatars mark a major advancement in how refereeing technology promotes accuracy and transparency,” FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström said in a statement. “By combining accurate player data with advanced visualization, this innovation builds confidence in key decisions and brings fans closer to the process than ever before.”
Additionally, a new perspective on the intense play on the field will be visible through a referee camera, which Lenovo’s AI solution helps stabilize in the moment, providing a clear visual for the viewer at home.
“This is a very practical application of AI,” Art Hu, Lenovo’s chief information officer and director of technology delivery for the Solutions and Services group, said in a statement. “It’s not abstract. It’s very real and we’re working with FIFA to make it very accessible, intuitive and easy to use.”
Detail of the 2026 FIFA World Cup “Trionda” match ball at Brooklyn Bridge Park on October 2, 2025 in New York. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images/Getty Images)
Finally, the unprecedented logistical and operational challenge the World Cup represents for FIFA and its partners is the greatest it has ever been in 2026, given that the matches take place across an entire continent and billions more people watch around the world.
There will be an intelligent command center supporting all functional areas of FIFA, while providing insightful AI-generated daily summaries, which will monitor all FIFA World Cup operations in real time. This will help officials observe, respond to situations as necessary, and visualize trends across the entire tournament footprint.
And it will help fans, because Lenovo has developed “digital twins” of all the venues used, where they can provide real-time data that will show where crowds are gathering, where queues are shortest and how people are moving around a venue.
Lenovo’s Smart Wayfinding, which provides cities, fan zones, landmarks, venues and all key points of interest that can be explored by fans in an interactive space, will feature real-time intelligence and AI-guided navigation, providing a frictionless experience for all.
Lenovo offers FIFA a range of AI capabilities that will impact officials, players, coaches and fans ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. (Lenovo/Fox News)
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To enhance Lenovo’s message about its impact on the FIFA World Cup, as well as the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2027, the brand launched its “Maximum David” campaign with legend David Bekcham. The campaign highlights how AI-powered technology augments Beckham’s creativity, performance and impact and ultimately his impact on everyone in the tournament.
Whether it’s teams seeking data to gain an advantage or fans enjoying never-before-seen views of the world’s greatest show on the pitch, Lenovo and FIFA are working side by side to deliver gaming like it’s never been seen on the world stage.
This will also start soon, as the first match of the World Cup will take place on June 11.
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