AI reaches the World Cup 2026: What is the role of technology in the tournament?

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The 2026 World Cup in the US, Mexico, and Canada will be the main sporting event of the year, but it will also be the first one to work like a live giant laboratory for sports technology.

Almost every action on the pitch will generate digital data, from player positions, ball movement, contact points, refereeing decisions, crowd movement, broadcast output for viewers, and even tactical analysis for the teams.

Behind a match that looks simple to the eye, layers of cameras, servers, algorithms, mobile devices, and AI systems will operate, turning the World Cup into something

The current tournament is the first to feature 48 national teams and includes 104 matches across 16 host cities. Technologically, that scale changes the rules of the game. A World Cup like this cannot rely only on referees, television cameras, and traditional broadcasting.

It requires a distributed computing infrastructure, load management, near-real-time video transfer, data-analysis tools for all the teams and systems that can make decisions or assist in decision-making within seconds. In other words, the 2026 World Cup is no longer just a sporting event. It is a global computing event.

A general view of FIFA World Cup 2026 signage at Kansas City Stadium on June 08, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (credit: Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images)

Most advanced Video Assistant Referee ever

One of the main technologies in the tournament is the advanced semi-automated offside system. A previous version of the technology was used at the 2022 World Cup, but in 2026, it is taking a leap forward. Instead of offside information reaching only the VAR room, in clear cases, the system will be able to send an alert directly to the on-field referees.

The result is less time between a player going offside and the flag being raised, especially in relatively simple situations. FIFA stressed that the system does not replace referees in every case, does not rule on its own in complex cases involving influence on the game, and…

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