Lenovo Becomes FIFA's Official Technology Partner for 2026 and 2027 World Cups, Promising AI-Driven Innovations

Lenovo will be FIFA's technology partner for 2026 World Cup and 2027 Women's World Cup

Lenovo has signed on to be the official technology partner for FIFA, which includes the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico as well as the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil. The announcement was made during Lenovo's Tech World innovation event in Seattle on Tuesday. FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement the deal will continue to upgrade fan experiences as well as continue to make data more accessible to fans and teams. "At FIFA, we are committed to growing the game globally and making football accessible for all -- and we are excited to welcome Lenovo to our journey, and to work with them to implement technologies, innovations and programmes that spread our sport. Data and technology combined helps us to know fans better," he said. The 2026 World Cup will take place from June 11 through July 19 in 16 cities throughout North America. It will also see the tournament expand from 32 to 48 teams. The 2027 Women's World Cup will feature 32 teams, but the dates and host cities in Brazil have not been finalized. Jeff Shafer, Lenovo's head of corporate marketing, said there have been been multiple meetings with FIFA about the role of artificial intelligence in helping teams and fans better understand all the data produced during a match, but that any ideas or upgrades are still in the planning stages. "Technology and football will absolutely enhance the experience for viewers at a specific level. That's stuff that we're working on right now. But we already, I think, have some really amazing and interesting ideas brewing," Shafer said. Lenovo will supply ThinkPad laptops and tablets as well as Motorola mobile phones for the tournaments to the competing teams, FIFA's staff and the various host nation organizing committees. FIFA had a significant amount of data during the recent World Cup tournaments, including detailed match reports breaking down all facets of play. Data used to be limited to possession percentages and shots, but with players wearing devices tracking movement as well as chips in soccer balls, data is available to analyze a team's offensive formation shape or to help referee's on offsides calls. The available data can also be used during the game for graphics used on television or to relay statistics inside the stadium. FIFA has a six member technical study group which helps analyze data during tournaments as well as give insights and observations. Shafer noted most of the upgrades to the fan experience will mostly begin with helping teams and players in analyzing data. "Technology can level the playing field. The data is already there, but you've got some disparity between the haves and have nots within global football," he said. "If we can provide technology that gives one or two people the ability to analyze date with some sort of competitive equality to those countries that have 10 or 15 people able to do that, it really brings a lot to the table." Lenovo's addition as a FIFA partner also joins recent sponsorship announcements from Bank of America, Lays and Verizon. "Lenovo is proud to support FIFA's vision of leveraging technology to elevate the game, enhance the fan experience worldwide, and foster innovation that levels the playing field. We're excited that our cutting-edge technology and AI innovation will take centre stage in the upcoming tournaments, demonstrating to the world the transformative power of smarter technology," Lenovo chairman and CEO Yuanqing Yang said in a statement.

FIFA signs up Lenovo as official tech partner for World Cup 2026 and beyond

Lenovo will look to boost FIFA's AI ambitions with new partnership Lenovo has been announced as the official technology partner for FIFA, the governing body covering world football. The deal, announced at Lenovo Tech World 2024, will cover the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, as well as the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027 in Brazil. It will see Lenovo offer its full range of computing technologies in a bid to make the world's most popular sport even smarter and more accessible for fans across the globe. "Lenovo is proud to support FIFA's vision of leveraging technology to elevate the game, enhance the fan experience worldwide, and foster innovation that levels the playing field," said Lenovo Chairman and CEO Yuanqing Yang. "We're excited that our cutting-edge technology and AI innovation will take center stage in the upcoming tournaments, demonstrating to the world the transformative power of smarter technology." The company has said that its ThinkPad laptops, tablets, Motorola mobile phones, and servers will be among the technology being integrated for the tournaments, helping improve fan experiences in stadiums and global broadcasts, power enhanced analytics, and democratize data across all global football-playing nations. Lenovo already supports Formula 1 with its technology efforts, supporting improved fan engagement and broadcasting capabilities - something FIFA will hope to follow in the future. "At FIFA, we are committed to growing the game globally and making football accessible for all - and we are excited to welcome Lenovo to our journey, and to work with them to implement technologies, innovations and programmes that spread our sport," added FIFA President Gianni Infantino. "Data and technology combined helps us to know fans better, and we will use it to create unparalleled and unforgettable fan experiences at the FIFA World Cup 2026 and FIFA Women's World Cup 2027."

Lenovo Announced as FIFA Technology Partner for 2026 and 2027 World Cups

Lenovo has been named the Official Technology Partner for FIFA, covering both the FIFA World Cup 2026 and the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027. The announcement was made during Lenovo's Tech World innovation event, where the multinational company's collaboration with FIFA was revealed. This partnership places Lenovo in FIFA's top-tier sponsorship category, as the brand aims to deliver advanced technological solutions to elevate fan experiences and global broadcasts. Lenovo will integrate its AI innovations, devices, and data center infrastructure to enhance fan engagement and help FIFA achieve its goal of growing the sport globally. The 2026 FIFA World Cup, set to be hosted in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, and the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil, will feature Lenovo's products such as ThinkPad laptops, Motorola smartphones, and servers to power real-time analytics, stadium experiences, and global data accessibility. "Lenovo is proud to support FIFA's vision of leveraging technology to elevate the game, enhance the fan experience worldwide, and foster innovation that levels the playing field," said Yuanqing Yang, Lenovo chairman and CEO. "We're excited that our cutting-edge technology and AI innovation will take center stage in the upcoming tournaments." FIFA President Gianni Infantino echoed this sentiment, highlighting the importance of technology in transforming fan experiences. "We are excited to welcome Lenovo to our journey and work with them to implement technologies, innovations, and programs that spread our sport. Data and technology combined helps us to know fans better, and we will use it to create unparalleled and unforgettable fan experiences." This partnership marks Lenovo's first collaboration with FIFA and aligns with Lenovo's history of supporting flagship global sporting events. The FIFA World Cup 2026 will feature 48 teams and be hosted by three nations for the first time, while the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup will take place in Brazil, marking the first time the event will be held in South America. At Cypher 2024, former Indian football captain Bhaichung Bhutia advocated merging football and technology. "In Indian football, we are yet to use the technology [AI and analytics] that is used in a much bigger way in world football," he said. "I was just reading, not sure if it's true, that Liverpool signed Mohamed Salah because of data," recalled Bhutia, pondering over the existence of technology in football and how it's now a necessity in Indian football.

Lenovo named Official FIFA Technology Partner By Investing.com

Lenovo and FIFA to leverage technology and innovation to grow the game globally SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--At Lenovo's annual Tech World innovation event, Lenovo and FIFA have revealed the multinational company as Official FIFA Technology Partner " FIFA's top tier sponsorship category " in a deal that includes the FIFA World Cup 2026™ in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, and the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027™ in Brazil. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241015870640/en/ The two tournaments will provide the perfect platform for Lenovo to further grow its global brand among fans of the world's most popular sport and, more importantly, deliver integrated and innovative technologies that will make football more accessible and more engaging for all, growing the game around the world. Lenovo's products, services and solutions, including its emerging suite of innovations that both leverage and power AI (Artificial Intelligence), iconic ThinkPad laptops, tablets, Motorola (NYSE:MSI) mobile phones, and servers, will be integrated into the 2026 and 2027 tournaments. The technology will power improved fan experiences in stadiums and global broadcasts, power enhanced analytics, and democratize data across all global football-playing nations. Lenovo Chairman and CEO Yuanqing Yang commented: As one of the world's leading technology companies, we're delighted to partner with the world's most global and popular sport. Lenovo will be powering the largest sporting and entertainment events in human history " events with more viewers, more nations participating, and an unprecedented global demand for data processing and technology. Lenovo is proud to support FIFA's vision of leveraging technology to elevate the game, enhance the fan experience worldwide, and foster innovation that levels the playing field. We're excited that our cutting-edge technology and AI innovation will take center stage in the upcoming tournaments, demonstrating to the world the transformative power of smarter technology. FIFA President Gianni Infantino added: At FIFA, we are committed to growing the game globally and making football accessible for all " and we are excited to welcome Lenovo to our journey, and to work with them to implement technologies, innovations and programmes that spread our sport. Data and technology combined helps us to know fans better, and we will use it to create unparalleled and unforgettable fan experiences at the FIFA World Cup 2026 and FIFA Women's World Cup 2027. In Lenovo, we have a partner who will support us as we evolve and innovate, investing in digital technology and artificial intelligence for future generations. The landmark partnership marks the first deal between Lenovo and FIFA and builds on Lenovo's heritage in powering the technology that has and continues to underpin many flagship global sporting properties. About FIFA World Cup 2026™ and FIFA Women's World Cup 2027™ The FIFA World Cup™ will feature 48 teams and be hosted by three nations for the first time in history in 2026. The tournament will return to the U.S. following the 24-team 1994 edition, while 2026 will mark the third time that Mexico has welcomed the world for the global showpiece. Canada has a proud history of hosting top FIFA women's and youth tournaments, including the FIFA Women's World Cup 2015™. 2026 will be the first time that FIFA's senior men's tournament will be played In Canada. The FIFA Women's World Cup 2027 will be the tenth edition of the tournament and, as in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand in 2023, is set to feature 32 teams. Brazil, participants at every FIFA Women's World Cup™ in history, will have the honour to host the first-ever FIFA Women's World Cup staged in South America. About Lenovo Lenovo is a US$57 billion revenue global technology powerhouse, ranked #248 in the Fortune Global 500, and serving millions of customers every day in 180 markets. Focused on a bold vision to deliver Smarter Technology for All, Lenovo has built on its success as the world's largest PC company with a full-stack portfolio of AI-enabled, AI-ready, and AI-optimized devices (PCs, workstations, smartphones, tablets), infrastructure (server, storage, edge, high performance computing and software defined infrastructure), software, solutions, and services. Lenovo's continued investment in world-changing innovation is building a more equitable, trustworthy, and smarter future for everyone, everywhere. Lenovo is listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange under Lenovo Group (OTC:LNVGY) Limited (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY). To find out more visit https://lenovo.com and read about the latest news via our StoryHub.