Global hotel group Marriott Bonvoy has been named as the latest regional sponsor of soccer’s showpiece 2026 FIFA World Cup.
As part of the agreement, the company will serve as the official hotel supporter in North America for the tournament.
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Throughout the event, Marriott Bonvoy’s portfolio of hotels and fan activations will provide access to the FIFA World Cup through “immersive hotel stays, new Marriott Bonvoy moments, exclusive packages, and one-of-a-kind drops.”
In addition to joining the World Cup as an official supporter, Marriott Bonvoy will partner with long-standing FIFA partner Visa on further fan engagement initiatives.
As a regional partner, the global hotel chain joins the third-tier sponsorship program for the World Cup, joining Airbnb, American Airlines, Diageo, The Home Depot, Rock-it Cargo, Valvoline, DoorDash, Globant, and Boggi Milano.
The tournament supporter tier sits below the secondary FIFA World Cup sponsor category and the top-tier global FIFA partner designation, which includes major brands such as Aramco, Adidas, Coca-Cola, Hyundai, Visa, Lenovo, and Qatar Airways.
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By GlobalDataFIFA claims that over six million fans are set to attend matches across the three host countries – the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
The World Cup will feature an expanded 48 teams, with 104 matches taking place in 16 host cities from June 11 to July 19.
Meanwhile, FIFA and Lenovo have unveiled multiple AI-powered innovations to enhance officiating technologies, match analysis capabilities and performance, and drive fan engagement.
The technological innovations comprise Football AI Pro, AI-enabled 3D player avatars, and an updated version of the Referee View broadcast footage.
As FIFA’s official technology partner for the 2026 World Cup and the 2027 Women’s World Cup, Lenovo provides AI-enabled devices, infrastructure, software, solutions, and services at FIFA’s two flagship competitions and across the governing body.
The primary innovation for this year's World Cup is Football AI Pro, a generative AI knowledge assistant developed to support all 48 participating teams.
AI-enabled 3D player avatars will represent a development in semi-automated offside technology, with players to be digitally scanned to create a precise 3D model.
FIFA and Lenovo claim that each scan takes approximately one second and “captures highly accurate body-part dimensions, allowing the system to track players reliably during fast or obstructed movements.”
In addition, the 3D models will be incorporated into the host broadcast, enabling offside decisions determined by the video assistant referee (VAR) system to be displayed to fans at stadiums and to global viewers.
The technology was tested at last month’s FIFA Intercontinental Cup.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said: “FIFA and Lenovo are fully embracing digital technologies and Artificial Intelligence to support teams and match officials, while also providing a new experience to fans worldwide. With Football AI Pro, we will democratise access to data by providing the most complete set of football analytics to all competing teams and, soon, to fans as well.
“The next generation of Referee View will show us new AI-enabled stabilised pictures to make the viewing experience unique – as if you are in the centre of the field with the players.
“And AI-enabled 3D avatars will ensure precise player identification and tracking – a big advancement in semi-automated offside technology providing great images, faster decisions, and a clear understanding by everyone.”
