Artificial intelligence in football: AI and the 2026 World Cup
Artificial intelligence in football is one of the most significant technological developments in modern professional sport. Whether it's data-driven match analysis, AI-assisted refereeing decisions, automated performance assessment, digital player avatars or intelligent tournament organisation – AI is transforming football at every level. The 2026 FIFA World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, in particular, will demonstrate just how firmly artificial intelligence is already established in the areas of match analysis, coaching, video assistant refereeing, the fan experience and tournament management. At the same time, new legal questions are arising regarding transparency, data protection, fairness and the role of human decision-making in professional football. This article examines the key areas of application, opportunities and challenges of AI in football, with a particular focus on the 2026 World Cup.
Artificial intelligence in football: The 2026 World Cup as the next stage of development
The 2026 Men's FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico marks a further step in this development. All players from the 48 participating teams are to be digitally scanned in order to create AI-enabled 3D avatars that allow for precise identification even during fast or obscured movements. This process is intended to further develop semi-automated offside technology and make referees' decisions more transparent for spectators in the stadium and television viewers. It is complemented by Football AI Pro, a generative AI assistant developed jointly by FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) and Lenovo, which is designed to provide all 48 teams with access to processed analytical data in text, video, graphs and 3D visualisations, and which FIFA describes as the democratisation of data access.
At first glance, this all sounds like a story of progress, which it undoubtedly is. At the same time, however, it is also a story of unresolved legal issues that straddle the line between referee autonomy and algorithmic decision-making support, between personal rights and data utilisation, and between the right to fairness and the lack of transparency in proprietary systems. This article provides an overview of the key areas of application for AI in modern professional football and examines the legal implications of technological change.
AI in football: an overview of the key areas of application
Anyone wishing to understand what AI is capable of in football today must first distinguish between three areas that differ not only in technical terms but also in terms of their legal implications.
- Match analysis and performance data: Data form the foundation. Modern tracking systems record up to 200 million data points in a single Bundesliga match, including running profiles, speed, positioning, body posture and heart rate. The systems used in football employ 3D body models to measure each player's position, speed and posture in real time. The data collected are directly incorporated into substitution decisions and injury prevention. Beyond mere performance tracking, so-called computer vision models enable the automated identification of tactical patterns from video footage. A much-discussed example is TacticAI, an application developed jointly by Google DeepMind and Liverpool FC, which has been trained over several years to identify patterns in corner-kick situations and generate tactical recommendations.
- Decision-making support in coaching: In modern professional football, the line between analysis and decision-making has long since become blurred. AI systems monitor players' biometric data in real time, detect signs of overexertion or fatigue before they lead to injuries, and create personalised training plans based on each player's current state of health. What used to be left to the coach's instinct – when to substitute a player, which tactical system is best suited to countering the opposition, or what level of pressing is needed to turn a match around – is now prepared using data-driven simulation models before the coach has the final say. Whether the coach actually does still have the final say will be a matter to be determined by future (legal) developments.
- Referee support: The use of AI is most visible where it is most hotly debated: on the pitch. Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology uses video recordings and AI assisted analysis to review contentious decisions. The system assesses offside situations, fouls and handballs from multiple camera angles, enabling the referee to review incidents within seconds. For the 2026 World Cup, this technology will be enhanced with an additional dimension. Semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) is set to be further developed using AI-enabled 3D player avatars, which, based on precise body scans, will enable reliable player tracking even during fast or obscured movements; the 3D models are also to be integrated into television broadcasts to present offside decisions to viewers with greater transparency and clarity. The aim of using such technologies is, in the first instance, precision, but also legitimacy: After all, a technology that makes decisions faster than the human eye must also be able to explain how it arrived at its result. This is also one of the key legal issues surrounding the use of AI in sport.
AI in the organisation of the 2026 FIFA World Cup
What happens on the pitch is what everyone talks about. What goes on behind the scenes is what makes a tournament of this scale possible in the first place – and what is regularly overlooked in the public debate about AI in football. The 2026 World Cup is not only the biggest football tournament in history, but also a mammoth logistical undertaking:
- three countries,
- multiple time zones,
- over a hundred games and
- seven million expected visitors.
Managing this complexity is inconceivable without technological support, meaning that artificial intelligence is key here too.
Intelligent Command Centre: AI for managing the 2026 World Cup
At the heart of the tournament's operational management is an Intelligent Command Centre, which monitors all of FIFA's functional areas in real time, provides daily summaries based on AI analyses, and enables those in charge to identify trends and deviations at an early stage and take action where necessary.
Digital twins of the World Cup stadiums in the USA, Canada and Mexico
A so-called digital twin will be created for each of the sixteen host stadiums. This is a precise, 3D model of the entire facility, based on laser scans and drone imagery, which serves as a spatial reference framework for all operational systems: environmental monitoring, structural monitoring of temporary structures, visitor flow analysis, and supply management for electricity, water and waste logistics. These city-wide and venue-wide digital twins enable stadium operators to simulate visitor flows, admission processes and evacuation scenarios well in advance of match day, thereby allowing them to anticipate risks before they arise.
Smart crowd management and visitor flow control using AI
The stadium infrastructure is complemented by a smart wayfinding system that connects cities, fan zones and venues in an interactive network and manages visitor flows and navigation in real time. AI powered camera systems monitor and count the flow of people at entrances, autonomously opening or closing turnstiles to ease queues, whilst algorithms predict peaks in demand for food, drink and merchandise based on factors such as the weather, the match schedule and real-time results.
AI-assisted match analysis and data platforms for national teams
The transformation is particularly evident where data are no longer merely collected, but made directly available to teams in a processed form. In this respect, the 2026 World Cup promises to usher in a new era of analytical infrastructure, in which tactical knowledge, statistical analysis and visual presentation are brought closer together.
- Platforms for tactical and statistical analysis: With "Football AI Pro", FIFA and Lenovo have announced a platform designed to provide all participating teams with analyses in the form of text, video, graphs and 3D visualisations. The added value lies not only in the sheer volume of data, but above all in their rapid translation into insights that can be used for tactical purposes. The focus, however, is on match preparation and post-match analysis, not on real-time control during the game itself. Therefore, AI remains primarily a tool for consolidation and structuring, whilst the coaching staff retains the power to make quick decisions during matches.
- Democratisation of data analysis: FIFA explicitly describes this approach as the democratisation of data access. This means that all 48 teams should have access to comparable basic technological functions, regardless of their respective financial and personnel resources. Nevertheless, a standardised platform does not completely level out competitive differences. Even when technical conditions are the same, what ultimately matters is who is better at interpreting the information provided, translating it more quickly into training and match plans, and integrating it into effective organisational decision-making processes.
AI and the fan experience: How artificial intelligence is transforming the spectator experience
The fact that AI is transforming football is evident not only in analysis centres, changing rooms and control rooms, but increasingly also in streaming on screens and in the stadium experience for spectators. Technological developments are therefore specifically aimed at making football even more appealing to spectators.
- Enhanced match visualisation: The 3D player avatars and visualised offside sequences planned for the 2026 World Cup promise to take match coverage to a whole new level. Decisions that previously often seemed abstract or required explanation can thus be conveyed more clearly and comprehensibly to both stadium crowds and television viewers. Additionally, there are data-driven match graphics that translate complex processes – such as running profiles, pressing patterns or spatial distribution – into a form that a broad audience can intuitively grasp. AI thereby becomes not only an analytical tool, but also a medium for sports storytelling.
- Interactive statistics and personalised content: Equally significant is the potential of personalised content. AI can present statistics, summaries and explanations in such a way that different user groups each receive exactly the information that corresponds to their interests, level of knowledge or usage behaviour. As a result, the viewing experience shifts from merely following the match to a curated, data-enriched experience. It will be interesting to see how viewers respond to these new features.
Challenges and legal issues surrounding the use of AI in football
Given that AI systems promise efficiency and precision in football, their limitations are all the more apparent. Legal and practical issues do not arise only when a system fails, but rather when those affected can no longer readily understand how it works.
- Transparency and traceability of algorithmic decisions: The more AI systems structure or explain decisions, the greater the need for transparency. This is particularly true where systems translate images, position data and probabilities into results that appear plausible to spectators but are only verifiable to a limited extent by those directly affected.
- Technological dependence on private providers: Another factor is a growing dependence on private technology providers. When key analysis, visualisation and control tools are developed and operated by just a handful of companies, sporting and organisational autonomy is partly transferred to proprietary systems whose functional logic can only be monitored to a limited extent from the outside.
- Balance between human decision-making and algorithmic support: AI cannot completely replace human judgement in either coaching or refereeing support without altering the nature of the game. Its use is therefore only truly practical if the ultimate responsibility clearly remains with the coach or the referee.
Acceptance among players, coaches and spectators
Ultimately, it is acceptance that determines the long-term success of the technology. Players, coaches and spectators will only recognise AI as a legitimate part of the competition if its benefits are clear, its errors are manageable and its results can be effectively communicated.
The 2026 World Cup and artificial intelligence: a technological turning point in football?
Against the backdrop of the developments described above, the 2026 World Cup could prove to be the moment when AI in international football evolves from an occasional support technology into a defining infrastructure. It is already changing the way matches are prepared, decisions justified and tournaments organised; on top of that, there is a new form of media coverage that makes the viewing experience noticeably richer in data.
Whether this will mark a lasting turning point, however, does not depend solely on the performance of the systems. It is equally crucial that transparency, accountability and fairness keep pace with technological progress. This is precisely where the real test of the 2026 World Cup lies: It will not only demonstrate what AI can do in football, but also what rules will be needed for its use in the future.
The tournament does not, therefore, mark the end of the debate; rather, it may well signal the start of its next phase – namely, the question of how much algorithm a sport can tolerate when its legitimacy has always been rooted in human decision-making, immediacy and unpredictability.
