How AI Is Running the 2026 World Cup (and What That Means for Your Career)

Welcome to this issue of the ElevateX Newsletter. Each week, one practical skill to help you get ahead. Takes about 4 minutes to read.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is starting this week. 48 teams. 104 matches. Three countries. The biggest sporting event in history.

But here is what most fans watching at home may not realise: this World Cup is also the largest live deployment of AI in the history of sports. And it is happening in ways that are invisible to the average viewer.

I spent some time digging into what is actually going on behind the scenes. And honestly, it is fascinating. Not just as a football fan, but as someone who thinks about where AI careers are heading.

The official match ball for this World Cup is called the Trionda. It looks like a normal football. It is not.

Inside the ball is a sensor that transmits data 500 times per second. It tracks the ball's position, speed, spin, and trajectory in real time. This data feeds directly into FIFA's officiating systems.

When a player kicks the ball towards a potentially offside attacker, the system automatically alerts officials in the video review room. They can validate the decision before the on-field referee even raises a flag. The entire process takes seconds.

This is not futuristic technology. This is happening right now, in every match of this tournament.

3D player avatars for offside calls

Every player at the World Cup was digitally scanned before the tournament. Each scan takes about one second and captures precise body dimensions. These scans are used to create 3D avatars of every player.

When there is an offside call, instead of showing blurry freeze-frame replays, the broadcast now shows a 3D reconstruction of the moment with accurate player models. Fans watching at home get a clear visual of exactly why a goal was allowed or disallowed.

The cameras inside each stadium track every player's position 50 times per second. That data, combined with the ball sensor and the 3D avatars, creates a complete digital picture of the game at any given moment.

This is the one that will catch most attention. FIFA built a generative AI platform called Football AI Pro, powered by Lenovo. It is trained on millions of FIFA data points and over 2,000 football-specific metrics.

Every participating team gets access to it. A team from a smaller footballing nation can now analyse their opponents with the same depth that traditionally only powerhouse teams with massive budgets could afford. Sprint speeds, defensive passing lane closures, set piece tendencies, tactical patterns. All of it, accessible through one AI-powered tool.

FIFA's stated goal is to democratise data so that matches are decided by tactical ability, not budget. Whether that actually happens is debatable. But the intent is interesting.

For the first time, referees are wearing body cameras. The footage is processed with AI stabilisation to create what FIFA calls "Referee View." Imagine watching a match from the centre of the field, running alongside the players. That is what this footage looks like.

It is being broadcast during matches for fans in stadiums and at home. The AI stabilisation is what makes it watchable. Raw body camera footage from someone running on a football pitch would be unwatchable. AI smooths it into something cinematic.

Watch a World Cup match this week. But instead of just watching the football, pay attention to the technology. Notice how offside calls are reviewed. Look at the 3D replays. Think about the sensor inside the ball that is transmitting data every two milliseconds. Then ask yourself: who built this? Who is maintaining it? What skills would I need to work on something like this?

That kind of thinking, connecting what you see in the world to where careers are heading, is a skill in itself.

If you know someone who loves football and is curious about AI, forward this to them. This is the kind of issue that makes people go "wait, I had no idea."

Until next week,

Vicky