This is going to be a quick piece, so we can get back to enjoying the great game. In fact, you would be right to think it’s going to be fast, so we could go strategize on the next game against Europe’s champion on the 27th of June, following the recent Carpe Verde draw. 

Furthermore, it is also appropriate to think of this as ‘technology’ in general and not AI narrowly, with the hook of the article’s title.  

Nevertheless, I wanted to quickly document some thoughts we’ve had during the ongoing World Cup in hopes that there might be something to learn. 

When FIFA laid out the objective for its official technology partner for the ongoing tournament, which included, amongst other things, to

  • Elevate the tournament via the latest technologies
  • Uphold and improve the game’s rules and governance via the same means and
  • Deliver an improved broadcast and in-person experience, all while honoring a rich tradition spanning more than 122 years,

You could easily have been forgiven for thinking it reads like the manifesto of a hungry enterprise whose head start depends on what’s typically called ‘digital transformation’ in our field.  

FIFA partnered with Lenovo for the 23rd edition of the World Cup/Photo=Lenovo. 

The World Cup in the Past

To really appreciate the kind of commitment to such transformations from a 122-year-old organization, we need to quickly peruse how many of the now-popular changes to the football game came to be.  We’ll also see what, if any, have been the negative implications of these transformations on FIFA itself.


2014

The 20th edition. It took place in Brazil, was won spectacularly by Germany, and saw the introduction of the use of goal-line technology in the tournament. 

The goal-line technology was first conceived to help referees determine instantly whether the entire ball has crossed the goal line following a controversial and infamous failure to award a goal at the 19th edition of the event hosted in South Africa, which sparked global debates about fairness and heralded the use of technology in football. 

Without this single innovative transformation, football could have remained painfully unfair, with technological evolution moving at a snail’s pace, and football fans —all over the world— occasionally frustrated at every inaccurate refereeing decision when it matters most. 

2018

The major technological innovation at the 21st edition of the World Cup was the introduction of VAR, another assistant to help referees make accurate decisions by reviewing video footage of key incidents during a match. 

Although criticism of VAR includes concerns that it impacts the pace of games, it’s now largely regarded as beneficial by football fans all around the globe, as of the writing of this piece. 

Used to review key decisions such as the awarding of a penalty, infringements, goals, and card decisions, its introduction in the laws of FIFA following an extensive trial in March 2018 was just in time for the tournament, which starts somewhat traditionally on June 14, but this time in Russia. 

2022

In the 2022 tournament, FIFA introduced two major changes of focus to the game, including the use of semi-automated offside technology and the integration of motion sensors into the ball to send data about its position to the technical room. 

As you might have guessed, this update greatly aided in VAR decision-making and improved offside calls.

2026

Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez said he felt «dizzy» while playing in «very dangerous» heat

 at the recent Club World Cup tournament.

Finally, in the current edition of the tournament, FIFA introduces AI to the game.

The difference with the past edition includes the use of AI-powered analytics, AI-enabled stabilization for on-field referee cameras, and the introduction of 3D player avatars for improved semi-automated offside technology.  

Although the main change of note to the ongoing event in the U.S. is the introduction of a three-minute mildly controversial hydration break during each half, that’s intended to help players quickly refresh during games, this too reflects FIFA’s commitment to meaningful renewal and experimentation that keeps the organization at the top of its game.  

Lessons 

Perhaps the most important lesson founders may derive from FIFA’s fervent commitment to innovation, as exhibited in its pattern of engagements, is the confirmation that digital transformation is, in fact, not fundamentally a technology problem but rather a leadership one. 

This follows one of the biggest misconceptions in modern business, that it is, when the reality of the transformations that have worked consistently shows that it rarely is.

More often than not, as FIFA shows, transformation is a leadership, strategy, or systems problem, typically disguised as a technology initiative failure in the cases where it failed. 

Moreover, there’s also the issue of legacy systems creating hidden complexity that they can learn from. 

With FIFA, it almost didn’t pursue the transformation that kick-started its now-continuous culture of innovation, most likely due to the fear of legacy protocol breaking until the 2010 event that forced it to. 

The lesson here is simple: because businesses tend to underestimate how deeply legacy systems hold back transformation, founders must commit to focus on continuous auditing of these systems to make sure they’re not being and have not been a bottleneck. 

Why it matters

As we highlighted in an earlier post, some of the biggest entities in the world are constantly finding newer ways to boost operational efficiency and meet customers’ needs. 

One way they do this is by leveraging the latest technologies and constantly adapting their processes. 

However, a huge chunk of the implementation of this transition to a culture that consistently innovates has continued to fail due to the prevailing mindset that transformation is a one-and-done strategy to rescue businesses from obscurity. 

As seen with FIFA, transformation is an ongoing organizational capability that businesses need to develop. 

No doubt adopting a culture of consistent innovation aids competitiveness and endears your company and product to your customers’ hearts, just as we’re seeing with the World Cup. 

Final thoughts

We will be getting back to planning the game now, but there are plenty more thoughts on other issues on the blog. 

Read articles like this there or book a free consultation with our experts to see how we could help with any of your business goals.