FIFA will create AI-enabled 3D avatars of all players at the 2026 World Cup to enhance semi-automated offside technology. The initiative, announced at CES in Las Vegas, aims to improve accuracy during fast or obscured movements and provide more engaging visuals for fans. Partnering with Lenovo, FIFA also plans to offer AI tools to all teams to level the playing field.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino unveiled a series of AI innovations for the 2026 World Cup during a keynote at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on January 7, 2026. The centerpiece is the creation of precise 3D avatars for every one of the approximately 1,248 players from the 48 competing teams. Each player will undergo a digital scan lasting just one second during pre-tournament photo shoots, capturing highly accurate body-part dimensions.
This technology builds on semi-automated offside technology (SAOT), already used at the 2022 Qatar World Cup and the 2023 women's tournament. SAOT automates key elements like the ball's kick-point and player positions using multiple cameras and ball tracking. The new avatars will enable the system to track players more reliably during fast or obstructed movements, addressing past issues such as the graphical mismatch in a Premier League game between Newcastle United and Manchester City earlier this season.
“AI-enabled 3D avatars will ensure precise player identification and tracking,” Infantino said. “A big advancement in semi-automated offside technology, providing great images, faster decisions and a clear understanding by everyone.”
The avatars will also integrate into broadcasts, displaying VAR offside decisions more realistically for stadium fans and global viewers. The system was successfully trialed at the 2025 Intercontinental Cup, where players from Flamengo and Pyramids FC were scanned before their December match.
In addition, FIFA's partnership with Lenovo introduces Football AI Pro, a generative AI assistant available to all teams before and after matches—but not during play. It analyzes millions of data points to generate insights in text, video, graphs, and 3D visualizations, aiming to democratize advanced analytics in the expanded 48-team tournament across the US, Canada, and Mexico.
Another update stabilizes referee camera footage in real-time using AI, following a trial at the 2025 Club World Cup, to enhance transparency and viewing experience.
Infantino described the 2026 event as “the greatest show ever on planet Earth,” with 104 matches expected to draw seven million attendees and six billion viewers worldwide.
