FIFA President Gianni Infantino has officially opened the 2026 World Cup International Broadcast Centre (IBC) in Dallas.
The 45,000m2 hub at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Centre was described by the FIFA President as "the most technologically advanced and top-of-the-art international broadcast centre that the world has ever seen".
It will serve as the global broadcast operations centre for the tournament, which is set to take place across 16 host cities in Canada, Mexico, and the USA from 11 June to 19 July 2026.
Addressing some of the 2,000 broadcast media representatives who will be based at the facility for up to seven months, the FIFA President reflected on what the tournament means to fans who cannot be physically present at one of the 16 host cities.
"Not everyone can travel to the United States or, in the past, to other countries to witness the FIFA World Cup, but everyone can see it back from home thanks to the IBC and thanks to the broadcasters," he said.
Romy Gai, Chief Business Officer of FIFA, said that FIFA had been determined to push to new levels of broadcasting excellence.
He highlighted two specific AI-powered innovations that will enhance the broadcast experience at the FIFA World Cup 2026. The first is AI-enabled 3D player avatars for semi-automated offside technology. Players will be digitally scanned on arrival, and the models will be incorporated into the host broadcast, enabling video assistant referee (VAR) offside decisions to be displayed more realistically.
The second innovation is a stabilised referee view. Building on a trial at the FIFA Club World Cup in 2025, AI-powered stabilisation software will smooth footage captured from the referee's camera in real time, reducing motion blur caused by rapid movement. FIFA said the footage will deliver a higher-quality, first-person perspective for audiences, enhancing transparency, understanding, and engagement throughout matches.
Adrian Pennington recently went behind the scenes of FIFA World Cup 2026 to find out more about the host of innovative technologies powering the ambitious live sports production. Discover more here.
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