Goal 3. Deliver fan engagement, including through eFootball, and invest in digital technology and Artificial Intelligence for the next generations
2026 update
Technology is arguably the fastest developing sector of society, and FIFA has worked diligently to harness that progress to have a positive impact on football.
A significant step was the approval at The IFAB’s Annual General Meeting in London in 2023 of the testing of a new replay technology system, Football Video Support (FVS). In response to requests from MAs unable to implement Video Assistant Referee (VAR) for logistical and financial reasons, FIFA developed the more cost-effective FVS. Initially trialled at the Blue Stars/FIFA Youth Cup in Zurich in May 2024, it was then implemented at the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup Colombia 2024™ and the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup Dominican Republic 2024™. It was also successfully used at the FIFA U-20 World Cup Chile 2025™, the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2025 Qatar™ and the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2025 Morocco™, and has even been extended to non-FIFA competitions for the 2025/26 season, such as Italy’s Serie C (men’s third division) and Spain’s Liga F (women’s top flight) and men’s third tier.
The communication of VAR decisions has been the focus of some refinement during the first three years of these Strategic Objectives. In order to make decisions more understandable and transparent to stadium audiences, referees announced the result of their deliberations over the public address system at the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ in 2023, following successful trials at both the FIFA Club World Cup 2022™ in Morocco and the FIFA Under-20 World Cup Argentina 2023™. It was then introduced into a senior men’s competition for the first time at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.
A key feature of the landmark broadcast deal that saw DAZN broadcast every match of the game-changing 32-club tournament for free, the Ref Cam was an innovation success story of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 and fulfilled multiple roles. “We had the possibility to see what the referee sees on the field of play,” explained Pierluigi Collina, the Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee. “And this was not only for entertainment purposes, but also for coaching the referees (and) to explain why something was not seen on the field of play.”
FIFA’s embrace of what Artificial Intelligence (AI) has to offer will see the Ref Cam project taken to the next level at the FIFA World Cup 2026™. Conceived in partnership with Lenovo, AI-stabilised pictures will give viewers an even greater feeling of being in the thick of the action. In addition, the viewing experience and the job of match officials will be enhanced and facilitated by AI-enabled 3D player avatars that sharpen the precision of player identification and tracking – a big advance for semi-automated offside technology as it provides improved images for quicker decisions and clearer understanding. (see Goal 9 for more detail)
While the FIFA Stadium Data Collector collated all information from each of the 905 qualifying games for the tournament – a FIFA first – AI will help the most inclusive FIFA World Cup™ ever step up the democratisation of the game. Football AI Pro will provide a complete set of football analytics to all 48 competing teams, and will also be available to broadcasters and fans to enhance their experience of matches. This is a direct response to changes in the way fans and teams now approach the game in an increasingly data-driven football landscape.
That is also the remit of the FIFA+ platform, whose range has increased significantly over the course of President Infantino’s second term with more than 80 MAs onboarded, giving fans unparalleled access to content from around the world in one place. Featuring domestic leagues as well as top-line FIFA national team and club tournaments, FIFA+’s scope will only continue to grow as fans’ viewing habits evolve.
Societal shifts also explain why FIFA has built a strong esports portfolio. Esports’ exponential growth is undeniable as witnessed by the unprecedented 94 nations and millions of players who participated on the Road to Riyadh and the FIFAe Finals 25 in the Saudi capital in December 2025. “By creating the biggest global stage for national team–based football esports, we are shaping a new era of entertainment – one that combines national pride, competitive excellence and the universal passion for football and gaming,” said Mattias Grafström, FIFA Secretary General.
Technology and innovation will remain in sharp focus at FIFA. The purpose of the ever-evolving FIFA Innovation Programme is to invite tech companies to work on ten priority areas to improve the game for everyone, on and off the pitch. It also led to the first FIFA Innovation Conference at the Home of FIFA on 12-13 November 2025 when football and tech experts came together to exchange ideas and explore how innovation can address the evolving challenges of the modern game.
Goal 3 overview
Technology provides many new opportunities, and FIFA recognises that it is an integral part of modern society and wants to leverage it as a driver for progress at various levels. FIFA is therefore committed to exploring both existing and emerging technologies to positively impact the game especially in order to help referees to make correct decisions, whilst ensuring that their potential use is cost-effective, beneficial and practical across the global football community.
Embracing technology also opens the door to new and future generations, for example through eSports, and caters for ever-changing consumer habits, from fans at the venue through applications or those engaging remotely through enhanced broadcast graphics and analyses.