It’s the biggest sporting event on the planet – but the 2026 FIFA World Cup may be remembered for more than just what happens on the pitch.

Speaking on HOT Business with Jeremy Maggs, powered by Standard Bank, Haim Israel, Head of Global Thematic Investing Research at Bank of America, explained why this tournament is being described as the world’s first true “AI World Cup”.

The reason is simple: the last FIFA World Cup took place before artificial intelligence became part of everyday conversation.

Listen to his full interview below:

The FIFA World Cup has always brought billions of fans together – but this time, technology is changing the way we watch, interact and experience the beautiful game. Read on to discover how AI is transforming football’s biggest tournament – from smarter stadiums and real-time fan engagement, to the incredible global impact happening far beyond the pitch.

This time around, AI is expected to influence almost every part of the tournament – from how teams analyse opponents, to security, broadcasting, fan engagement, infrastructure and the way supporters interact with matches in real time.

According to Israel, the scale of the tournament is almost impossible to comprehend.

Over the course of the event, he says around two exabytes of data will be generated – roughly the equivalent of 45 billion HD movies.

The final alone is expected to account for a significant portion of global internet traffic during the 90 minutes of play.

With an estimated six billion people expected to watch the tournament, Israel says the biggest shift will be how fans experience football.

“Don’t say six billion spectators. Say, for the first time, six billion participants,” he explained.

Through AI tools, digital experiences, avatars, real-time data and new technology, supporters around the world will be able to engage with the tournament in ways never seen before.

But the impact extends far beyond football.

Israel says the World Cup will act as a massive global case study for technology infrastructure, requiring enormous investment in telecommunications, data centres, electricity networks and digital systems.

The economic ripple effect will also be felt around the world.

From airlines and hotels, to restaurants, merchandise manufacturers and technology companies, the tournament is expected to support hundreds of thousands of jobs globally.

“We still live in a global world,” Israel said, pointing out that the benefits of an event this size extend well beyond the host nations.

And because no football conversation is complete without a prediction, Jeremy asked whether AI had been used to forecast a winner.

After combining research insights with artificial intelligence analysis, Israel says the results pointed towards Spain as the AI favourite to lift the trophy – with Japan tipped as the tournament surprise package.

Whether AI gets that prediction right remains to be seen.

But one thing is certain: the 2026 World Cup won’t just showcase the future of football – it may showcase the future of technology itself.