World Cup Scores Goal With AI From First Whistle

Google, Lenovo and FIFA have each deployed AI tools covering team preparation, fan experience and stadium security at the 2026 World Cup, which opens today as Mexico faces South Africa at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. For the first time, 48 teams compete across 104 matches in 16 host cities across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Behind the spectacle, a separate competition is playing out. Technology companies have turned the World Cup into the biggest live test of artificial intelligence in sports.

Argentina, the defending champion, is using Google’s Gemini to prepare for matches. Techweez reported that players and coaching staff will use Gemini to break down plays and analyze data on both their own and opponents’ performance across the tournament. Google announced deals with several national teams including France, Morocco and the United States, with the AI working inside team preparation alongside kit sponsorship.

Lenovo is going further. As FIFA’s official technology partner, Lenovo deployed Football AI Pro, a tactical analysis tool built on FIFA’s own football data model. Computer Weekly reported the tool analyzes more than 2,000 metrics and millions of data points per match. All 48 competing teams have access to it. Coaches can simulate tactical changes against opponents before a match. Players can pull personalized performance breakdowns after one. Lenovo said the tool is designed to give smaller nations, including tournament debutants Curaçao and Cabo Verde, access to the same analytical resources as major football powers.

Real-Time AR Overlays, Facial Recognition

The AI layer extends well beyond the pitch. Fans inside stadiums can point their phones at the field and see a live overlay showing player names, speeds and physical intensity data in real time, WION News reported. Outside venues, Google pushed tournament features across Search, Maps and Waze, including live score tracking and AI-generated tactical diagrams available to anyone following the matches.

At stadium gates, fans are using their faces as tickets. The Next Web reported that a biometric identity layer runs alongside the consumer AI layer across all 16 host cities, letting fans move through entry checkpoints without physical documentation. The same report noted that more than 120 civil society groups, including the ACLU and Amnesty International, issued a travel advisory before the tournament, warning of facial recognition risks and advising some travelers to disable face unlock on their devices before arriving.

FIFA Hides Abusive Posts

On social media, FIFA expanded its Social Media Protection Service for the 2026 tournament. The Guardian reported that FIFA is offering the moderation tool free to all 48 football associations. The system scans 30,000 keywords across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. Abusive posts are hidden within two seconds. The person who sent the abuse can still see their own post, but it is not visible to the player or their followers. People of Color in Tech noted that users posting abusive content can also be banned from buying tickets to FIFA matches. The service does not run on X, which does not participate in the program.

CBS News reported that during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the same system scanned more than 20 million posts and flagged nearly 20,000 as abusive, discriminatory or threatening. The 2026 tournament runs larger, spans three countries and carries greater commercial scale.

Lenovo also built an intelligent command center that monitors tournament operations in real time and generates daily summaries for FIFA officials. Digital twins of all venues let FIFA track conditions and respond to issues across the tournament’s footprint. The broadcast layer includes AI-generated 3D player avatars used in offside replays to give officials and viewers clearer visual context for decisions. FIFA President Gianni Infantino said 6 billion people are expected to watch from home.

For all PYMNTS AI coverage, subscribe to the daily AI Newsletter.