Innovations That Shape the World Cup: 2022-2026

The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar was a tournament that stood out for its use of cutting-edge innovations to enhance the experience for all involved.

From player performance data and augmented reality features for fans, to improved accessibility for visually-impaired individuals and advanced security measures, the tournament set a high bar for future events.

With each World Cup, organizers aim to push the boundaries and come up with new technological innovations.

As we look ahead to the 2026 tournament in North America, we can expect to see even more advancements and exciting new developments in the world of sports technology. Let’s take a look at:

• New innovations introduced at the 2022 FIFA World Cup,
• Possible innovations at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Innovations at the 2022 FIFA World Cup

1. FIFA Player App

At the 2022 FIFA World Cup, a bespoke analytics tool for the players was introduced for the first time – namely, the FIFA Player App. The app was developed by FIFA’s Football Technology & Innovation division with input from professional players in collaboration with FIFPRO.

The app provides individual player performance data, linked to videos of relevant match action, minutes after each match. The app has proved very popular, with over 400 professional players registering for the service, including Croatian star Luka Modric.

The data collected includes enhanced football data metrics, such as whether a player made an offer or movement to receive the ball, physical performance metrics, collected through a highly accurate in-stadium tracking data system, and enhanced football intelligence metrics, created by the FIFA Football Performance Analysis & Insights team.

FIFA has already announced, that it will utilise the Player App again for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 in Australia and New Zealand.

2. FIFA+ Mobile App

FIFA+ is a digital platform that provides full coverage of the FIFA World Cup, including an industry-leading live blog, official highlights, photos, and videos from every match, and official stats and data.

Additionally, FIFA+ offers a variety of features, including:

• FIFA World Cup Fantasy,
• Digital Panini Album,
• Daily Predictor,
• World Cup Trivia games
• FIFA World Cup Daily show
• Digital collectables marketplace
• FIFA store,
• extensive archive of previous FIFA match footage.

The platform will also offer personalisation and FIFA ID for football fans to register and enjoy a bespoke journey through the FIFA World Cup.

3. FIFA+ Stadium Experience

The FIFA+ app offered a unique feature called FIFA+ Stadium Experience for fans attending the Qatar World Cup. This feature allows fans to view matches in Augmented Reality by using their mobile device to scan the field.

Stadium Experience uses image recognition technology to identify each player and by tapping on them, users can access individual and team statistics as well as real-time player speeds.

The app also offers additional fan experience features such as Video Assistant Referee (VAR) replays for close calls, and heatmap selections displaying ball possession, attempts at goal, defensive line breaks and more. The analytics provided in the app is the same data that FIFA uses to conduct post-match analysis and to understand how the game is evolving over time.

4. Improved Accessibility

In order to make the 2022 FIFA World Cup more accessible to visually-impaired football fans, two new technologies will be utilized: Bonocle and Feelix Palm.

Bonocle is a Braille entertainment platform that uses transcoding and Bluetooth technologies to allow individuals with visual impairments to fully experience the excitement of the World Cup. The founders of Bonocle stated that it will remove barriers and open doors for the blind community to explore new things and places.

Feelix Palm, a palm communicator with tactile features, was also used in Qatar. It uses electric impulses to provide braille-like messages to the visually impaired fans without limiting their physical movement or hearing.

5. Security

In Qatar, the Aspire Command and Control Center (ACCC) utilised a network of 22,000 security cameras and advanced facial recognition technology to monitor 8 sports venues (including Lusail Stadium) and the streets, with the goal of improving security for spectators.

The ACCC is able to forecast crowd patterns and potential stampedes by analyzing data such as time of arrival and points of entry. Additionally, drones developed by Qatar University were used to gather information on the number of people on city streets, while interceptor drones were deployed to counteract potential threats from other unmanned aircraft.

Potential new innovations at the 2026 FIFA World Cup

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will take place in Canada, USA, and Mexico, is poised to be one of the most technologically advanced tournaments in the history of the sport. With the tournament being hosted on American soil, there are high expectations for new and innovative technologies to be introduced.

American sports leagues, such as the NBA and NFL, are known for their use of advanced technology, and this has set the bar high for FIFA to match or even exceed these expectations.

The following are projected technological innovations that could appear in 2026:

1. Virtual Reality broadcasting

As Virtual Reality technology continues to advance, it has the potential to provide fans with an immersive virtual stadium experience, allowing them to watch matches from the comfort of their own home. The NBA has already begun to implement this fan experience technology by using the Meta Quest 2 VR headset in their match broadcasts.

2. Augmented Reality player statistics

Building on the FIFA+ Stadium Experience, fans could use their mobile devices to access real-time player statistics and data, such as maximum speed, distance covered, and the number of sprints, in an augmented reality view of the field.

3. Artificial Intelligence match analysis

AI-powered match analysis could provide fans with an even deeper understanding of the game, by analyzing patterns and trends in player performance and providing predictions for future World Cup matches.

4. Biometric monitoring for players

Using wearables and biometric monitoring technology, teams would be able to track and analyze a player’s health and fitness in real-time, helping to prevent injuries and optimize performance.

An example of real-life biometric monitoring for players is the NFL’s use of wearables to track player movements and vital signs during games and practices, and teams like the Boston Red Sox use of wearable monitoring devices to track players’ health and performance.

5. Blockchain-based ticketing and merchandise

Blockchain technology could be used to create secure and transparent ticketing and merchandise systems, which would prevent fraud and make it easier for fans to purchase and manage their tickets.

Conclusion

The first-ever World Cup in the Middle East was a tournament that stood out for its use of cutting-edge football technology to enhance the experience for all involved. From player performance data and augmented reality features for fans, to improved accessibility for visually-impaired individuals and advanced security measures, the tournament set a high bar for future events.

With each World Cup, organizers aim to push the boundaries and come up with new and innovative solutions. As we look ahead to the 2026 tournament in North America, we can expect to see even more advancements and exciting new developments in the world of sports technology.

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