Global football icon David Beckham, Lenovo's global brand ambassador, attends an event in Beijing on Thursday night. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Artificial intelligence has become a crucial part of the world's biggest football tournament. From match operations and team preparations to broadcast enhancements and fan engagement, AI is being woven into the very fabric of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, transforming it into a global showcase for intelligent technology.
"AI and sports are a perfect match," Jiang Xiaojuan, professor at the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and director of the national expert advisory committee for data, said. "Technology is fundamentally changing how athletes compete and how fans experience the game. The value it brings is unmistakable."
"I hope that companies with strong technological capabilities, like Lenovo, can apply the expertise gained from serving top-tier global events like the World Cup to the development of Chinese football and sports as a whole," Jiang said.
She made the comments at the "2026 FIFA World Cup Lenovo Carnival", which was held in Beijing on Thursday night, bringing together sports officials, tech executives, and football legends to witness firsthand how AI and the game are converging to create an entirely new kind of spectator and participant experience.
