This Will Be The First World Cup Ever With AI Coaches On The Sidelines

InnovationConsumer TechThis Will Be The First World Cup Ever With AI Coaches On The SidelinesByJohn Koetsier,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Journalist, analyst, author, podcaster.Follow AuthorJun 04, 2026, 07:49pm EDTThe FIFA World Cup starts soon. For the first time, each team will have an AI coach.FIFA via Getty ImagesWhen Mexico kicks off against South Africa at Estadio Azteca on June 11, the 2026 World Cup will be the biggest in the tournament’s history: 48 teams, 104 matches, three countries. It will also be the first World Cup where every single team walks in with the same AI analyst sitting on the bench.Or maybe not exactly sitting. And not quite on the bench, either. Think of FIFA AI Pro more as a coach in the cloud, perhaps. With, of course, a perfect photographic memory of thousands of soccer games.Essentially, it’s ChatGPT for football (or soccer, depending on where you live). Co-developed by FIFA and tournament sponsor Lenovo and unveiled in January at CES, FIFA AI Pro is an AI assistant that lets all 48 World Cup teams query FIFA’s exclusive match data — millions of data points across 2,000+ metrics — and get tactical insights back as video, animated replays, and 3D avatars. Teams can ask FIFA AI Pro almost any kind of match-related question:How am I failing on offense?What setup leads to better outcomes against this opponent?Which players have historically defended best against Messi?What’s the best way to break through France’s defense?Which midfielders give my strikers the best balls?How FIFA AI Pro actually worksUnder the hood, Lenovo says it has analyzed more than 2,000 distinct metrics from thousands of games. In other words, this isn’t a generic LLM model that has been adapted for soccer. It uses FIFA's own tracking data, player telemetry, and historical tactical analysis — every camera angle and body sensor from every match — plugged directly into the back end.MORE FOR YOU"You c...