How the World Cup is a high-stakes stage for Big Tech’s AI push

The World Cup, which kicks off on June 11, is a big moment for large tech players such as Lenovo, Google, and Salesforce to show off their AI capabilities.

Personal-computer maker Lenovo’s World Cup debut as FIFA’s official technology partner encompasses AI-enabled phones and tablets, an AI assistant that’s offered to all participating teams, and even the application of AI within a video system that referees will use to help officiate. 

The pact, announced in October 2024, kicks into high gear for the 2026 World Cup, which has been called the most complex tournament in history with games to be played in 16 cities spanning three countries and an expanded field of 48 teams. FIFA estimates more than five million fans will watch the matches in person, with billions more following gameplay from their homes, offices, local bars, and any other location with a reliable internet connection.

“Most of the world is watching, and it creates an unbelievable expectation that you really have to make sure this works,” says Art Hu, Lenovo’s chief information officer.

It turns out the World Cup isn’t just about sports. It’s also a splashy event where some of the world’s largest tech giants have a fresh opportunity to display their AI prowess. The technology is fueling more complex search queries and agentic ticket booking for Google, while Salesforce’s Slack will coordinate workforce management across all host cities, and Verizon is providing network connectivity at stadiums across North America.

One of Lenovo’s splashier AI offerings is Football AI Pro, a generative AI knowledge-based tool that analyzes hundreds of millions of football data points, both from past matches and through real-time analysis, which can then be tapped by coaches, trainers, and other support staff via text, video, graphs, and 3D visualizations. The tool can be used to assess, for example, the success rate of a corner kick by Argentina’s Lionel Messi or Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo.

“More data will be coming in as matches get played,” says Hu, who adds that Lenovo and FIFA wanted to level the playing field so that this technology was available to all countries. But what’s left to the teams is how much they want to use the data. Some may opt to strictly follow the numbers whipped up by their AI-enabled gadgets, while others may use the data at a high level but leave tactical calls to the coaches.

Heading into the World Cup, Google has struck team partnerships with eight squads, including the U.S., Argentina, Brazil, and France. Marvin Chow, Google’s vice president of consumer and AI marketing, says the World Cup presents a unique, global opportunity to showcase the tech giant’s user-focused AI capabilities, but from a design perspective, the application of the technology is intentionally subtle.

World Cup players, Chow said, “are using AI and digital tools to prepare for matches, get ready for new cities, where to eat in the city, and what are the things to do. They’re people too.” 

Google’s AI-powered search advances can show interactive graphics that convey the difference between a 4-4-2 and a 4-3-3 formation, an advancement from pre-AI queries that were traditionally heavy on news articles and summaries. Google’s Maps and Waze are filled with data about traffic and road closures, stadium imagery, and live scoring updates whenever a car is stopped.

AI agents that can be authorized to hunt for tickets online are still in the early pilot stages, according to Chow, who says these capabilities will be more ready for prime time by the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil in 2027. “It’s really in the early days, I would say, for this World Cup,” says Chow.

RapidSOS, meanwhile, connects data from more than 723 million devices, apps, and sensors to 911 and other first responders and will work directly with FIFA and local stadiums in major cities such as Atlanta and Kansas City to support AI translation and make data-sharing easier.

Zach LaValley, the chief technology officer of RapidSOS, says the influx of fans from foreign nations will put pressure on public safety, both for non-English speakers and for those who know the language but may not speak it regularly. “When things get real and the shit hits the fan, people go to their native tongue to express themselves,” says LaValley.

AI-driven transcription will plug into local 911 calls within a stadium, alleviating the work a first responder would need to do to first figure out what foreign language is being spoken, then spend up to three minutes finding a translator. RapidSOS also works with FIFA and the stadiums to share details about the stadium layout and access ramps with federal, state, and local agencies, while also contacting a point person at the stadium when an emergency situation occurs.

“The whole thing is how do we make sure you are safe when you come to the World Cup and basically try to break down corporate and virtual data silos,” says LaValley.

Sportradar, which provides technology and data services to sports betting companies, works directly with major leagues including FIFA, NHL, NBA, and utilizes machine learning and AI capabilities to detect strange patterns that may imply illegal match fixing attempts. After an initial anomaly is flagged, it will go through a second phase of AI-enabled identification before a human is alerted to look into the case further.

“This is the biggest betting event in the world; we expect up to $50 billion overall turnover, which is the total amount of bets being placed,” says Behshad Behzadi, chief product, technology, and AI officer at Sportradar. “We play a big role in providing integrity services for different sports, including FIFA.”

John Kell

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This story was originally featured on Fortune.com