The Data Revolution Behind the Scenes at the 2026 World Cup

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is not just a tournament of thrilling matches but also the most data-driven event in the history of football. As the tournament unfolds, advanced technologies like AI-assisted offside calls, sensor-equipped balls, and 3D player scans are reshaping how the sport is analyzed and played. However, behind these state-of-the-art innovations lies a largely invisible workforce: underpaid data annotators and analysts spread unevenly across the globe. Rafael Grohmann, a professor at the University of Vale do Rio dos Sinos, reveals in his project “Tech Workers in Football” that this workforce is essential to creating the vast data infrastructure powering modern football yet remains unrecognized and often precariously employed.

The data value chain in football divides into three layers: internal club analysts, data suppliers, and annotators who meticulously track match events, often working from low-wage cities such as Ternópil in Ukraine or Cairo, Egypt. While data analysis profits are concentrated in wealthy regions, these annotators frequently work on a gig basis, echoing broader inequalities in sports technology. Grohmann emphasizes the urgent need for media, researchers, and clubs to acknowledge these contributors’ roles, as the 2026 World Cup highlights both football’s evolving dynamics and the socio-economic complexity behind the game's data-driven transformation.

This in-depth understanding of football’s data ecosystem complements the on-field narratives, like the tightly contested 1-1 draw between Uruguay and Saudi Arabia in Group H, underscoring that the World Cup is as much about cutting-edge technology and data analysis as it is about the players on the pitch.