This year’s FIFA World Cup is a historic one on multiple levels, from its new 48-team format to the 104 total games played beginning June 11.
It’s a tournament for the ages and one that needs help behind the scenes to provide insight, innovation and much more.
Enter Lenovo, the global technology powerhouse that serves as the official technology partner of FIFA, is helping deliver AI solutions to power the World Cup this summer at host sites across North America and around the world.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXBUSINESS.COM
“The FIFA World Cup represents the biggest stage in global sports 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 power an event that will connect billions of fans across 16 venues and three countries, where performance and reliability must be flawless every moment of every match.
“For us, this partnership is about far more than putting our logo on the field; it’s an opportunity to demonstrate how Lenovo’s full-stack portfolio — from devices and infrastructure to AI-powered solutions and services — can deliver at the highest 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 anywhere.”
As Shafer says, this partnership goes well beyond just the visual presence Lenovo will have at FIFA World Cup matches. It’s a swathe of tech solutions both entities have worked on together to impact all areas of the game, starting with the landmark announcement of Football AI Pro.
FIFA, FANATICS JOIN FORCES IN MAJOR PARTNERSHIP FOR OFFICIAL TRADING CARDS, COLLECTIBLES
Co-developed by FIFA and Lenovo, Football AI Pro will bring unprecedented access to millions of data points and over 2,000 performance metrics for every team participating in the World Cup to access with strong privacy safeguards. The insight and analysis that can be done by coaches, players and analysts can help level the playing field for those teams that lack the same resources as bigger clubs like France, England and the U.S.
“With Football AI Pro, we will democratize access to data by providing the most complete 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 more exciting developments with Football AI, and other innovations, as FIFA and Lenovo create unforgettable experiences in the months and years ahead.”
While teams will be using that tool on and off the pitch, one of the more noticeable AI applications by Lenovo and FIFA will be for all to see during matches: digital avatars.
There will be 3D avatars produced of players at the tournament using 3D assets and Advanced GenAI technology, which will help support the efficiency of the decision-making process made by referees during matches. In just six seconds, a player will step into a circle filled with cameras that scan their body to build the 3D asset, which will be used in key situations.
For example, during an offside replay in a match, 3D animations will appear on-screen, providing a greater visual contextualization for fans watching at home and in the stadium. The digital avatars will replicate the individual physical dimensions of the players competing.
“AI-enabled 3D avatars mark a major step forward in how officiating technology supports accuracy and transparency,” FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafström, said in a statement. “By combining precise player data with advanced visualization, this innovation strengthens confidence in key decisions and brings fans closer to the process than ever before.”
Furthermore, a new vantage point of the intense play on the pitch will be seen 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 the chief technology delivery officer for the Solutions and Services Group, said in a statement. “This is not abstract. It’s very real and we’re working with FIFA to make it very accessible, intuitive and easy to use.”
Finally, the unprecedented logistical and operational challenge the World Cup has for FIFA and its partners is the biggest it’s ever been in 2026 given matches being held across an entire continent and billions more watching around the globe.
There will be an Intelligent Command Center supporting all functional areas at FIFA, while providing insightful daily summaries generated by AI, which will monitor all FIFA World Cup operations in real-time. It will help officials observe, respond to situations if needed and view trends across the tournament’s footprint.
And this will help fans, as Lenovo developed “digital twins” of all the venues being used, where they can provide real-time data that will show where crowds are building, where lines are shortest and how people are moving throughout a venue.
Lenovo’s Smart Wayfinding, which provides cities, fan zones, landmarks, venues and every key point of interest that can be explorable for fans in an interactive space, will have real-time intelligence and AI-guided navigation attached to it, providing a frictionless experience for all.
To enhance Lenovo’s messaging about how it’s impacting 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-driven technology elevates the creativity, performance and impact of Beckham and ultimately how it will impact all those participating in the tournament.
From teams looking into data for an advantage to fans getting never-before-seen views of the world’s greatest show on the pitch, Lenovo and FIFA are working side by side to deliver the game like it’s never been seen on a global stage.
It will also start soon, as the first World Cup match will be held on June 11.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Read the full article here
