World Cup 2026: Technology Will be a Key Driver Behind the FIFA Showpiece

The 2026 World Cup is set to be the most profitable sporting event in history, with FIFA expected to pocket more than $10 billion in revenue.

That’s according to a new report by London-based Pitch Marketing Group. The publication predicts that over five billion people will watch the tournament, which is scheduled to last for six weeks.

That accounts for nearly two-thirds of the global population, with more than 700bn engagements across every social media platform.

Next year’s highly anticipated showpiece will be played in 16 cities across the United States, Canada, and Mexico and will run from June 11 to July 19.

FIFA has already announced that it expects to rake in $13bn over a four-year cycle between 2023-2026, but that includes profits from the 2023 Women’s World Cup, the 2025 Club World Cup, and its annual licensing and sponsorship income.

That is a massive 75% percent leap from the $7.5bn FIFA earned during the Qatar 2022 cycle and more than double the revenue from the 2018 tournament in Russia.

The key reason for this unprecedented surge in predicted revenues is FIFA’s decision to expand the tournament from 32 to 48 teams, which increase the number of games.

There will be many interesting aspects of the World Cup but one key area that will undoubtedly captivate the fans is the technological innovations.

In-Stadium Experiences

There will be a range of tech innovations introduced at the FIFA World Cup to make the tournament far more entertaining and engaging for the fans. Some of them are already being implemented at the ongoing Club World Cup in the US.

Body cameras for referees are among the innovations. In a bid to make officiating more transparent, the body cams will give the fans an unprecedented perspective from the referee's point of view.

FIFA want to explore whether the camera angle from the body cam can improve the experience for those watching on television and online.

Whatever findings they get from the Club World Cup will help to create guidelines for how the body cams will be used in next year’s World Cup tournament.

Additionally, fans inside the venues will be able to watch live footage of on-field Video Assistant Referees (VAR) reviews on the stadium screens.

FIFA will also deploy the advanced semi-automated offside technology. It uses multiple cameras, an internal ball sensor, and artificial intelligence (AI) to make offside calls faster and more precisely.

Betting

We’re still a year away from the showpiece, but that has not stopped betting platforms from rolling out early odds on the tournament.

These platforms are also starting to offer plenty of new betting markets in anticipation of the World Cup, especially as new viewers tune in to see the impact of tech innovations on the competition.

The Club World Cup has already shown an increased prevalence of live betting markets, and that should remain the case at next year’s showpiece.

Betting and football have always gone hand in hand, so operators around the world will have to calibrate their platforms to handle the massive surge in activity during the World Cup.

Millions of fans around the world, including far-flung countries such as Australia, will be tuned into the World Cup, and many of them will take advantage of the live betting markets.

The best bookmakers are already turning to AI to make sure they can integrate real-time data into their platforms to enable bettors to place informed wagers during the World Cup.

Advanced AI will give them ideas on how to make recommendations, especially for bettors who like to place wagers while the action unfolds.

Live Streaming

One of the most notable changes ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup is the move away from traditional television toward digital streaming platforms.

Live-streaming platforms will be key to the billions of fans who won’t be in the stadiums, making sure they do not miss a moment of the highly anticipated showpiece event.

Lenovo’s partnership with FIFA will come in handy in this area. It includes high-performance hardware and backend infrastructure that will support 4K and 8K ultra-HD streaming.

It will ensure crisper pictures with minimal latency and could also be a blueprint for broadcasters.

Streaming platforms will offer interactive experiences where viewers can choose camera angles, access real-time stats, or even ask AI-powered assistants for tactical breakdowns.

These platforms also come with chat rooms and watch parties that make it possible for those who cannot be at the stadiums in person to catch all the live action.

Streaming giants such Peacock, Paramount+, and ESPN+ will make these synchronised rooms happen. It will provide fans with a digital space to share reactions in real-time.

The languages will differ depending on the streaming channel, but AI tools will be available to provide live commentary or subtitles in multiple languages.