We already know the winner of the next World Cup
18 MAY, 2026
By Alexis Bienvenu
The next men’s FIFA World Cup is about to begin. The tournament will be hosted across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico and will take place from June 11 to July 19, but we already know the winner — or rather, the winners.
Advertising? Yes, partly, since around $11 billion in advertising spending is expected, according to consultancy WARC. However, this figure is not especially remarkable, as it is similar to that of the last World Cup in Qatar and even lower than the 2018 tournament in Russia.
Tourism, then? To a greater extent, indeed, since tourism spending linked to the event is expected to exceed $7 billion, according to FIFA estimates in its Socioeconomic Impact Analysis report, compared with between $2 billion and $4 billion for the last World Cup, according to the IMF. Foreign spectators are expected to spend an average of $5,000 during their stay, according to the US Travel Association.
These gains stem from the enormous scale of this tournament: for the first time spread across three countries and 16 host cities, it will feature a record number of teams (48 instead of 32), allowing for a record number of matches (104 instead of 64), which means more countries, more tickets, and more television viewers.
More broadly, the global economy will be another winner. According to FIFA, global GDP should receive a $40 billion boost, more than 800,000 full-time equivalent jobs will be created, and $9 billion in tax revenues will be generated through direct and indirect taxes. This increase in activity will be concentrated in the U.S. but widely distributed among other countries as well. In fact, Mexico is expected to experience the most noticeable economic impact, as a Deloitte study estimates the tournament could contribute around 0.14% to Mexico’s GDP growth in 2026, while the figures for the U.S. and Canada are two to three times smaller.
However, beneath the surface and beyond the purely quantitative aspects, another major winner is emerging: technology. This World Cup will be the first in the era of widespread AI, which will permeate every area. Before matches, an analysis assistant called “Football AI Pro” will be provided to all teams, giving them insights into upcoming opponents. Once players are on the field, AI will contribute to refereeing and game analysis. 3D player avatars will be used to clarify the most critical plays, replacing traditional video replays. The match broadcast itself will be “enhanced” by an AI-stabilized “referee’s view” camera, offering an immersive angle. Around the event, organizers will rely on “smart control centers” that create “digital twins” of infrastructure capable of centralizing multiple streams of information to manage spectator flows.
This technological shift will be powered by a massive flow of information, much of it generated not by the matches themselves but by the surrounding digital ecosystem, including social media commentary and streaming. The competition will therefore also serve as a technological showcase.
But which company has been chosen to play this key AI architecture role in the tournament? None other than Lenovo, a Chinese company whose ownership structure remains partly linked to a foundation with close ties to the Chinese public-sector ecosystem. FIFA has therefore placed a Chinese player at the heart of the world’s biggest sporting event.
China’s influence is not limited to Lenovo. The country is also involved in broadcasting infrastructure through Hisense and has entered the consumer sponsorship space through Mengniu, a Chinese dairy giant.
From a qualitative point of view, then, the winner of the 2026 World Cup already has a name: an empire of intelligence that has established itself in the world of football and its technological revolution.
