Lenovo is serving as the Official Technology Partner for the FIFA World Cup 2026, delivering a near real-time AI-powered infrastructure platform across the tournament’s three host countries — the United States, Canada and Mexico — in what the company describes as the most expansive broadcast and operations technology deployment in FIFA World Cup history.

AI Infrastructure Powering Live Broadcast and Operations

At the core of Lenovo’s deployment is an ultra-low-latency IPTV infrastructure that reduces live match delivery delays to under five seconds, distributing content across ten channels to over 1,000 screens throughout FIFA venues. Lenovo ThinkSystem SR635 V3 servers, deployed at the International Broadcast Center in Dallas, Texas, handle the ingestion, processing and distribution of all live match content, enabling fans, media, VIPs and officials to access every match from fan zones to media tribunes. More than 17,000 Lenovo and Motorola devices and over 200 engineers have been deployed across venues and Team Base Camp training sites to support operations.

Beyond broadcast, Lenovo’s technology is embedded in FIFA’s Technology Command Center in Miami and the Tournament Operation Center, which function as mission control for the World Cup — monitoring and managing all tournament technology systems in near real-time throughout the event.

“Lenovo’s AI infrastructure is redefining the FIFA World Cup experience, delivering near real-time highlights, multi-angle views, and insights at unprecedented global scale. Together with FIFA, we are running AI under the world’s most demanding conditions — solving latency concerns and bringing billions of fans closer to the action than ever before, setting a new standard for live sports.” — Ashley Gorakhpurwalla, President of Infrastructure Solutions, Lenovo

AI-Driven Fan Experience and Match Officiating

Lenovo is also deploying AI tools aimed at improving both in-venue experience and officiating transparency. AI-generated 3D player avatars, built using generative AI and real-world player data, provide real-time visualisation of offside decisions for fans and serve as an input to support match officials. AI-driven navigation systems are being used to manage crowd movement and reduce congestion across venues, while stabilised “Referee View” cameras deliver first-person perspectives with up to 50 per cent less motion distortion.

FIFA AI Pro Platform for All 48 Teams

As part of its “Smarter AI for All” strategy, Lenovo is deploying the FIFA AI Pro platform to all 48 competing teams — a next-generation AI assistant delivering tactical insights to coaches, players and analysts. Built on Lenovo’s AI Factory, the platform is designed to democratise access to elite-level analytics regardless of a team’s resources, levelling the competitive playing field across the tournament.

Nacho Fresco, Director of Technology at FIFA, said the scale of the 2026 edition — 48 teams, three host countries — made low-latency performance a non-negotiable requirement. “Lenovo is a key partner in helping us meet the stringent low-latency requirements essential for live production environments,” he said.