Revolutionizing the World Cup: How AI is transforming the sports industry

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Some of the most exciting developments that occur in AI include self-driving cars, AI chips, and quantum computing, but these aren’t the only areas where AI is making significant progress. The use of AI in sports has been around for a while, but during the last two decades especially, many are using AI technology to improve the sports experience. Recent studies estimate that the global artificial intelligence sports market was worth $1.8 billion in 2021, growing to $19.2 billion by the year 2030.

AI is making headlines in every sports field. These advancements are all part of a bigger trend for the future of sport. For instance, All Design Lab, a multidisciplinary design studio, used AI to design a more modern racket that helps players improve their performance. Golf clubs can now use AI to adjust their swing weight depending on the user’s preferences.
Hitekw, the tennis racket designed by All Design Lab
In every aspect of sports, from training to gameplay, AI technology is being used to enhance performance and the overall experience. For instance, an AI diet plan uses machine learning to personalize a variety of plans to players based on their needs. To do so, it looks at a whole host of data points—from how long it takes for players to recover from matches, to how much time they spend training, and even their sleep habits—to give them the best possible path forward.

AI can also help coaches automate certain tasks that would otherwise be done manually. For example, if a player has been struggling with their fitness level and needs to be monitored closely in order to avoid burnout or injury, AI can run simulations of practice sessions at varying intensities and monitor the player’s progress across multiple metrics such as speed or distance covered. Not only can this be used too make decisions about player rotations and game strategies, but it also helps detect players’ musculoskeletal and cardiovascular issues before injury ensues.

When it comes to talent identification and acquisition, football clubs have been using traditional methods for decades. However, the process of finding and signing with a sports agency can be difficult and often inaccessible for many athletes, with high fees and a lack of transparency among major hurdles. But a new player has entered the game in recent years: artificial intelligence, which has made the scouting process more easily accessible.

AI has revolutionized the way athletes find and work with sports agencies, particularly for those at the lower levels of their sport. For instance, sKora, a digital sports agency that is ahead of the curve, is uniquely leveraging data-driven technology and AI to provide a more efficient and transparent process for athletes to find and sign with an agency. With entry into the sports tech space using AI driven technology such as sKora, clubs can identify talented players who may have been missed by traditional scouting methods.

And that’s not all – AI can also be used to evaluate a player’s physical attributes, such as speed, agility, and strength, and predict how they might fare in a specific position or team system. These cutting-edge tools are helping clubs make more informed and strategic decisions in the transfer market, as they look to build the most competitive and successful teams possible. For example, clubs can use VR and AR to simulate different game scenarios and see how a player might react and perform in those situations. This data then helps coaches make more educated decisions about their next big-name signing.

In recent years, football matches have started becoming officiated through video assistant referee (VAR).VAR allows officials to review and make decisions on certain incidents that may have occurred during a match, including goals, penalty kicks, red cards, and mistaken identity. This system has since been assisted by AI technology to help improve the accuracy and fairness of decisions in football matches.

AI has made the scouting process easily accessible and the search for the next big-name signing more achievable.
Video Assisted Referees (VAR) at work during World Cup 2018
Goal line technology is another AI development that’s changing the way football matches are officiated. This innovative system uses sensors and cameras to detect when the ball has crossed the goal line, sending a signal to the match officials to indicate that a goal has been scored. And with the ability to be used in conjunction with video assistant referees (VAR), goal line technology is also helping to improve the accuracy of decisions surrounding goals.

Over the past few years, FIFA has also introduced limb tracking offside line technology. This uses artificial intelligence along with a series of cameras around the stadium to follow players’ limbs and instantaneously creates virtual offside lines for referees. Another AI development that has garnered a lot of attention is, “ghosting”. Simply put, it’s a measure of a player’s positioning on the field or court in relation to where they are expected to be based on their role and the overall strategy of their team. Clubs can use this to fix errors, like showing if a certain player is in the wrong position during a counter attack, or to find weaknesses in their opponents, by seeing what their players are likely to do in a certain situation.

The use of technology in sports has come a long way in recent years, and the 2022 World Cup was no exception. As Adel Saad, Founder and CEO of sKora, told the Peninsula, “Technology shines at this World Cup and the organizers are trying to use the full potential of technology in football.”

As the world’s largest and most prestigious soccer tournament, the World Cup was not left behind in embracing the technological innovations that have swept the sports industry. For example, the Al Rihla, Adidas’ official match ball for the tournament, is equipped with an inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor. This sensor, located at the center of the ball, sends data on the ball’s movement to the video operation room 500 times per second, providing a precise detection of the kick point. This information is used as a tool in determining tight offside decisions, ensuring fair play and integrity in the game. But the use of AI and advanced technology doesn’t stop there. AI-powered cameras(VAR) and goal line technology were being used during the 2022 World Cup to assist referees in making offside calls and keeping a record on goals-scored at the tournament.
Al-Rihla Adidas official match ball
When it came to hosting the world’s biggest soccer tournament, Qatar left no stone unturned in its efforts to ensure the best fan experience possible. The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar introduced an exciting new feature for fans: augmented reality (AR) technology through the FIFA+ app. With this app, fans could transform their smartphone into a virtual window into the match, providing them with unparalleled access to real-time player metrics, team formations, and possession stats. The app even offered the same video replay angles that the referee sees when consulting the video assistant referee (VAR) system, giving fans an in-depth look at key moments of the game. All that was needed to access this immersive experience is a smartphone and the FIFA+ app, which automatically calibrated by detecting the pitch. The integration of AR technology into the FIFA+ app enhanced the fan experience at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and brought fans closer to the action on the pitch.

From state-of-the-art stadiums to innovative technologies like augmented reality, Qatar has pulled out all the stops to make the 2022 World Cup a truly memorable event. The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar was a groundbreaking event in more ways than one, and another area where fans saw a big difference was in the flow of people at the stadiums. Leveraging the power of artificial intelligence (AI), the tournament organizers worked to ensure a smooth and efficient experience for fans. At the tournament’s control center, technicians used AI to monitor the number of people in different areas of the stadium and applied thresholds to identify potential bottlenecks.

Overall, it’s clear that the Qatar 2022 World Cup was a showcase for the latest and greatest in technological innovation. Whether you’re a fan, a coach, or a player, it has proved to be an exciting time to be a part of the beautiful game.

With several state-of-the-art stadiums across the country, Qatar has also featured a number of connected stadium technologies designed to enhance the fan experience. The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar will feature state-of-the-art technology to ensure that spectators are comfortable during matches, even in the intense Qatar heat. Through the use of insulation and a cutting-edge cooling system called “spot cooling,” stadium temperatures will be maintained at a comfortable range of 64 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. This innovative method allows cooling to be directed only where it is needed, ensuring that fans can enjoy the action on the pitch without being disrupted by extreme temperatures. Contact us through email at support@skora.tech or through Instagram (skora.tech) with any questions you may have.

sKora is a sports tech company that aims to empower aspiring football players and help them go professional. We do this using an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven platform that provides players with personalized recommendations and pathways to professionalism depending on their unique talents, characteristics, and circumstances.

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