Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This afternoon, June 11th, the FIFA World Cup kicks off across the United States, Canada, and Mexico with a groundbreaking innovation: for the first time in sports history, an AI system will be watching every single player in real time across every play.
In this episode of NYC Innovates, we explore how Lenovo, FIFA's official technology partner for 2026, is deploying the largest live AI system ever used in professional sports. This isn't just about sponsorship—Lenovo is running the entire operational backbone of the tournament: the officiating technology, analytics, data infrastructure, and more across 16 venues in three countries.
We dive deep into the cutting-edge technologies that will reshape how the world's biggest sporting event unfolds:
We also examine the bigger questions this technology raises: Can fans trust AI to decide World Cup outcomes? Who owns the data generated? And how will this technology reshape industries beyond sports?
What do you think? Should AI help decide the biggest moments in the world's biggest sporting event?
00:01 - Intro: World Cup 2026 Goes Live
01:36 - Lenovo's $83 Billion Global Operation
03:12 - Solving the Qatar Criticism Problem
04:06 - The Full Tech Stack (Smart Ball, AI Cameras, Crowd Data)
05:06 - Football AI Pro: A Game-Changing Analytics Tool
06:07 - The Trust Question: Can Humans Accept AI Decisions?
07:02 - Who Owns the Data After the Tournament?
Connect with Cheddar!
On Facebook: facebook.com/cheddar
On Instagram: instagram.com/cheddar
On the web: cheddar.com
In your inbox: need2know.cheddar.com/subscribe
This afternoon, June 11th, the FIFA World Cup kicks off across the United States, Canada, and Mexico with a groundbreaking innovation: for the first time in sports history, an AI system will be watching every single player in real time across every play.
In this episode of NYC Innovates, we explore how Lenovo, FIFA's official technology partner for 2026, is deploying the largest live AI system ever used in professional sports. This isn't just about sponsorship—Lenovo is running the entire operational backbone of the tournament: the officiating technology, analytics, data infrastructure, and more across 16 venues in three countries.
We dive deep into the cutting-edge technologies that will reshape how the world's biggest sporting event unfolds:
We also examine the bigger questions this technology raises: Can fans trust AI to decide World Cup outcomes? Who owns the data generated? And how will this technology reshape industries beyond sports?
What do you think? Should AI help decide the biggest moments in the world's biggest sporting event?
00:01 - Intro: World Cup 2026 Goes Live
01:36 - Lenovo's $83 Billion Global Operation
03:12 - Solving the Qatar Criticism Problem
04:06 - The Full Tech Stack (Smart Ball, AI Cameras, Crowd Data)
05:06 - Football AI Pro: A Game-Changing Analytics Tool
06:07 - The Trust Question: Can Humans Accept AI Decisions?
07:02 - Who Owns the Data After the Tournament?
Connect with Cheddar!
On Facebook: facebook.com/cheddar
On Instagram: instagram.com/cheddar
On the web: cheddar.com
In your inbox: need2know.cheddar.com/subscribe
