The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be remembered for many reasons. It will be the first tournament featuring 48 national teams, the first jointly hosted by three countries—Mexico, the United States, and Canada—and the largest World Cup ever organized. But it will also be the World Cup where 5G reaches its full potential: technology will stop being an invisible infrastructure layer and become a protagonist almost as relevant as the sporting spectacle itself. Not because technology was absent in previous tournaments, but because of the role artificial intelligence will play this time.
The scale of the event creates unprecedented challenges. Mexico alone is expected to receive more than 5.5 million visitors during the tournament, placing enormous pressure not only on stadiums, airports, and hotels, but also on telecommunications networks, digital platforms, security systems, and mobility applications.
That is why, on this occasion, Mexico’s telecommunications regulator decided to grant temporary 5G spectrum licenses to operators in order to meet connectivity demands. This same week, in Guadalajara—one of the host cities—AT&T activated a 5G network using 2.5 GHz and 3.5 GHz spectrum around Akron Stadium to ensure additional capacity during World Cup matches. All indications suggest that this spectrum availability will allow operators to handle the traffic peaks generated by tens of thousands of users connected simultaneously.
The decision carries additional significance. Beyond the tournament itself, it serves as a regulatory laboratory for testing more flexible spectrum allocation mechanisms. Mexico has temporarily enabled the 600 MHz, 1.9 GHz, 2.5 GHz, and 3.3–3.6 GHz bands in areas surrounding World Cup venues, a measure designed to guarantee connectivity in high-density user environments.
But the World Cup will not be played solely over mobile networks. It will also be a major test for Wi-Fi networks, cloud services, and streaming platforms. The expectation of millions of people sharing photos, videos, and live broadcasts in real time has accelerated investments in connectivity infrastructure across hotels, restaurants, airports, and transportation hubs. The adoption of Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 7, and managed network models has emerged as one of the most visible trends leading up to the tournament. The United States and Canada are currently the most advanced countries in this regard.
Everyone Goes eSIM
The digital fan experience has also become a strategic business opportunity. eSIM providers are competing aggressively to attract the millions of supporters who will travel across the three host countries during the 39-day tournament. Holafly, Airalo, Global eSIM, Saily, Mexim, and Torres eSIM, among others, have launched various strategies aimed at increasing adoption of this technology.
Telecommunications operators offering eSIM services have also developed specific World Cup initiatives. Verizon has done so through Visible, while AT&T and T-Mobile have adopted different approaches. In Canada, Rogers Communications, Bell Canada, and Telus offer eSIM services to foreign visitors, although with less emphasis on the sporting event itself. A similar situation exists in Mexico, where Telcel has focused its messaging on the strength of its network infrastructure.
This is a pivotal moment for accelerating the evolution of eSIM technology. Thousands of fans will cross borders multiple times throughout the tournament and will demand continuous connectivity to stay in touch, use mobility apps, share experiences on social media, and follow the conversation around every World Cup moment.
Match broadcasting is another key component of the technological ecosystem supporting the tournament. In Argentina, Flow has announced it will broadcast all 104 World Cup matches as part of a strategy aimed at consolidating major sporting events onto a single platform. This trend is global: the match is no longer limited to the television screen, and users increasingly expect to access content from any device, at any time and from any location.
América Móvil, through its regional subsidiaries, is focusing on Claro TV as the platform that will broadcast all matches at no additional cost, as already announced in Paraguay and Argentina, among other markets. During the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the operator leveraged the strength of Claro Sports by launching YouTube streaming channels covering every aspect of the event. Although global football broadcasting rights follow different commercial dynamics, the company is capitalizing on Latin America’s passion for football by ensuring the World Cup is available on its platforms.
Even Antel, Uruguay’s state-owned operator, will broadcast the FIFA World Cup for the first time while simultaneously deploying a streaming-focused strategy designed to meet evolving content consumption habits.
YouTube will also play a major role. The platform will offer free live match highlights, instant recaps, and creator-generated content from venues across the tournament. It will stream the first 10 minutes of each of the 104 matches free of charge, with access to the remaining 80 minutes requiring payment. In parallel, YouTube will deploy tools that allow users to follow simultaneous matches and will provide access to FIFA’s historical archive, enabling creators to produce Shorts using classic World Cup footage.
Artificial Intelligence and Drones
Security is another major technological pillar of the tournament. Crowd management, access control, and incident prevention are driving the deployment of AI-powered video surveillance systems, body cameras, video analytics, and command-and-control platforms capable of integrating real-time information. The goal is to detect anomalies before they become incidents.
The United States deserves special mention. In addition to the various technology deployments introduced by operators and digital service providers, the country has developed a specific framework to monitor drones. As drones have become far more common than in previous years, U.S. authorities consider them a potential security threat. As a result, detection technologies and aerial interception systems have been deployed to neutralize suspicious activity, according to reports from Infobae. New regulatory measures have also been introduced to support any actions federal authorities may need to take concerning these devices.
Coordination among police forces, defense agencies, and federal authorities represents another major technological effort driven by the World Cup. In Jalisco, for example, the state’s C5 command center modernized its communications infrastructure in partnership with Motorola Solutions to strengthen coordination among these organizations. Part of the initiative focused on ensuring interoperability between radio and broadband networks, enabling faster responses to any contingency.
Artificial intelligence is embedded across many of these initiatives. From systems capable of identifying suspicious behavior to tools that can locate missing persons within seconds, AI will serve as a force multiplier that enhances operational capabilities and reduces response times.
Unlike previous World Cups, where debates centered on controversial refereeing decisions or spectacular plays, the 2026 tournament appears to have a broader ambition: placing greater emphasis on the fan experience while simultaneously building a digital ecosystem capable of supporting millions of people connected at the same time.
And this is where artificial intelligence becomes relevant from the fan’s perspective. According to a Capgemini study, 54 percent of sports fans now use generative AI tools as their primary source of sports information, replacing traditional search engines. The report, which surveyed 12,000 fans across 11 countries, also found that 64 percent want content tailored to their personal preferences, while 27 percent are willing to pay more for AI-enhanced experiences. However, concerns remain about the authenticity of the content being consumed—including the sport itself—as well as the risk of information overload diminishing the enjoyment of the game.
The ball will remain the true star of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, regardless of the technology deployed across the three host countries during the tournament’s 39 days. Behind every stadium lies an ecosystem of 5G networks, next-generation Wi-Fi, artificial intelligence, monitoring centers, streaming platforms, and cloud services working together to ensure millions of fans enjoy the event both in person and remotely. The overview presented here offers only a glimpse of everything that will be at stake from a technological perspective. From a business standpoint, however, the tournament may already have a clear winner.
