The advent of AI in sports – show me the money!
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The 2026 FIFA World Cup has recently concluded, and its most telling numbers were commercial. Nearly 7 million spectators attended 104 matches, setting a cumulative attendance record, and a Financial Times estimate put FIFA’s revenue from the tournament itself at approximately $9 billion. Much of that increase came not from what happened on the field, but from how the tournament was monetized through premium hospitality, dynamic pricing and FIFA’s own resale platform.
This reflects a broader shift. Sport is no longer judged solely by trophies or attendance; it is increasingly valued as an investable business, with tens of billions of dollars in private capital being assembled and deployed across teams, leagues, media rights and adjacent sports assets.
