The World Cup has been packed with shock results thanks to data-sharing AI robots, according to tech experts. Artificial intelligence analysis of each player's every kick has leveled the playing field between teams, narrowing the gap between football giants and minnows.
The tournament has already witnessed a series of upsets. European champions Spain were held to a draw by Cape Verde, ranked 61 places below them, in their group game. Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal drew with DR Congo despite a 33-place ranking difference. Germany, ranked 12th in the world, were eliminated by Paraguay, ranked 22 places below them, on penalties—the first time Germany lost a World Cup penalty shootout.
FIFA's AI Bot Levels the Playing Field
Experts believe the upsets stem from next-level data provided free to all 48 teams by FIFA. The governing body created its own bot, Football AI Pro, offering unprecedented data on 2,000 different metrics. This allows teams' analysts to neutralize opponents that would normally dominate them. Andrius Kuksta, tech lead in research and development at data analyst Oxylabs, said: 'At the World Cup, conversational AI assistants such as FIFA's Football AI Pro are being provided to all teams, allowing coaches and analysts to interact with their data in natural language. This technology is particularly valuable for smaller nations that lack dedicated analytics staff, helping to level the playing field by giving every team advanced, user-friendly access to actionable insights.'
Data collection at the 2026 World Cup has been revolutionized by AI and advanced tracking, capturing over 500 spatial data points per second from the match ball, optical player tracking algorithms, and wearable biometric systems. This data feeds into the FIFA Football Data Platform to provide coaches and media with real-time analytics. Kuksta added: 'It's great to see that during the FIFA World Cup efforts are being made to level the playing field for all teams through accessible AI tools.'
Concerns Over Post-Tournament Access
Kuksta warned that after the tournament, minnows from poorer nations could suffer if they can no longer afford the technology. 'The real test comes after the championship,' he said. 'Will advanced AI remain affordable and available to everyone, or will it become a privilege for those who can pay but not necessarily play? Some technologies, like advanced AI-powered video analysis, may remain difficult for smaller teams to afford. Others, such as wearables like chest-mounted monitors that track vitals and performance metrics, are becoming more accessible, expanding data-driven insights for a broader range of teams at future tournaments.'
AI Could Decide the Winner
According to experts from the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia, AI could determine which nation wins. However, it may make football boring if all teams have identical insights and follow the same game plan. Professor of human factors Paul Salmon told The Conversation: 'AI is fast becoming a key component of high-performance sport. It will be leveraged throughout the tournament to support preparation, performance, and recovery. While it could increase the gap between larger and smaller nations, it might also give smaller nations a new edge. So could 2026 be the year in which AI genuinely contributes to a World Cup win? We won't see an AI agent scoring a goal or a robot coach calling the shots—at least not yet. But there is no doubt the winner of the tournament will have relied on AI along the way. In terms of who that will be—well, we could always ask AI.'
Salmon described this as the 'most technologically advanced' World Cup ever, with AI touching 'almost all aspects of the tournament.' He said bots offer tools to support player, team, and match evaluation; forecast match outcomes and in-game events such as expected goals, assists, corners, passes, and opposition tactics; monitor athlete workload; calculate injury prediction and detection; and scout for talent. Coaches can use AI alongside conventional data to determine how they approach each game, including highlighting opposition strengths to negate and weaknesses to exploit. High-performance staff use it to monitor players' health and wellbeing and forecast potential injuries.
AI's Influence on Penalty Shootouts
Salmon noted that AI can have a 'direct influence' on the 'dreaded penalty shootout.' 'Teams will use AI to synthesise historical data to provide insights on goalkeepers and penalty takers' likely strategies,' he said. 'A key benefit is the speed at which these analyses can be undertaken. What used to take days of old-fashioned human legwork can now be done in hours, even for entire squads. Should a game go to a shootout, AI could very likely influence the winning kick or save.'
Salmon said the aim of FIFA's bot was to 'ensure all nations have access to at least some level of AI support.' He added: 'It remains to be seen which nations actually use it.' He warned of a 'potential adverse outcome is tactical homogenisation,' where matches become 'predictable because every team follows the same AI-generated game plan.' 'While there are many benefits, a broad spectrum of risks will need to be managed,' he concluded.
