FIFA expands digital strategy with Globant for 2026 World Cup
Who is behind the digital experience that millions of fans will experience at the next World Cup?
Not everything is decided on the pitch: technology is also playing its own global tournament.
The emotion sparked by football is not limited to what happens on the field. With just weeks to go before a new major international event, expectations rest not only on players and coaches, but also on those in technology who are redefining how the world’s most popular sport is experienced.
With less than a month until the start of the tournament, figures such as Lionel Scaloni, Carlo Ancelotti, and Néstor Lorenzo are finalizing their squad selections. At the same time, a group of major companies is preparing to take center stage before an estimated audience of 6 billion people.
Brands on display.
Adidas, Coca-Cola, Aramco, Hyundai-Kia, Lenovo, Qatar Airways, and Visa are part of this group of global brands. Among them, one company stands out as the only one born in Latin America: Globant.
The tech unicorn will represent the region on an international stage, alongside national teams such as Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay, and Ecuador. According to FIFA, its role is that of a digital consultancy and software services provider.
The relationship between technology and football reached a turning point with the consolidation of VAR, particularly during the 2022 FIFA World Cup. That tournament also marked progress in the use of sensors, real-time data, and new interfaces, in a context where the digital experience began to gain prominence.
Alliance and digital evolution.
Months before that World Cup, which featured Lionel Messi as a central figure, Globant began its relationship with FIFA. The company contributed to the development of FIFA+, a platform that expanded access to content, statistics, and broadcasts for millions of users worldwide.
In November 2025, both organizations strengthened their partnership with a new agreement signed in New York. The focus is on developing and evolving FIFA’s digital ecosystem toward 2026, including structural improvements to its platforms and tools aimed at enhancing fan engagement.
Unlike solutions such as VAR, which directly impact how the game is played, Globant’s contributions focus on transforming how football is consumed.
This ranges from content personalization to real-time data integration and immersive experiences that allow users to reconstruct plays, analyze trajectories, or access advanced metrics during matches.
Technology as infrastructure.
In this context, technology has moved from being a complement to becoming a structural part of the ecosystem. It is no longer only about improving refereeing decisions or adding statistics, but about redefining how tournaments are organized and how fans engage with the sport.
Globant’s experience in the sports sector extends beyond FIFA. Through Sportian, its specialized unit, the company develops artificial intelligence-based solutions for organizations such as Spain’s LaLiga.
These tools include performance analysis, data management, and operations, and are used by clubs and leagues to optimize decision-making both on and off the pitch.
Ahead of the next World Cup, this expertise could also be applied to national teams, which will find technology a valuable ally for planning their stay, managing information, and improving preparation during the competition.
In this scenario, FIFA is redefining the role of its partnerships. Technology partners are taking on a strategic position in shaping both the tournament and the broader spectacle, enabling the experience to scale to millions of users, process vast volumes of data, and sustain a competition that is no longer played solely on the field.
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