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Following the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the organizers were unsurprisingly keen to capitalize on the worldwide attention the tournament secured and keep fans across the globe excited for the next big game.
To do so, FIFA partnered with Globant to redesign its global digital fan experience, using the latter’s Glob.AI and AI Pods to try and create a more personalized and integrated ecosystem for football fans across all of FIFA’s platforms and tournaments.
We spoke to Martín Nanni, Chief Experience Officer – EMEA, at Globant, to find out more.
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- How did this partnership come about? And why is it only being released now, so soon after the World Cup?
The recent news is a continuation of a partnership that has been growing since 2022. This announcement marks the next step in their ongoing partnership and the developments that have taken place.
Recently, FIFA tested Globant’s newly launched Glob.AI model and AI Pods to improve the digital fan experience. Now that Glob.AI is public, it’s a good time to share how FIFA is using this technology.
Major tournaments like the World Cup give FIFA an opportunity to engage with fans globally, including those who may be interacting directly with FIFA for the first time. The main focus now is using AI, real-time data and individual fan identities to build on that engagement and create continuous, more direct relationships that don’t stop after a tournament.
- You talk about providing a “joined-up” experience for fans – what does that look like in reality, and why should they be excited for this?
We want a joined-up experience that means fans won’t feel like they have to start over every time they interact with FIFA. The aim is for fans to feel recognised and rewarded for long-term interaction through their single FIFA ID.
The goal is for a fan’s FIFA ID to connect all their digital experiences, whether they’re following a tournament online, using FIFA.com, using the FIFA Tournament App, watching at home, or going to a match.
For fans, this could mean having access to more relevant content, easier access to information they care about, and experiences that reflect their long-term connection to football, not just one event.
Globant has helped integrate FIFA ID across FIFA’s digital ecosystem, including experiences such as Rewards and the FIFA Tournament App, so it can act as a single user identifier across different products and engagement tools. This means that fans who engage with FIFA during the World Cup can continue that relationship beyond the tournament.
This is similar to the loyalty programmes many fans know from clubs or national teams, where ongoing support is recognised. It’s similar to the way that a local FA may have loyalty points for its long-term fans. The difference is that FIFA is doing this worldwide, across many competitions and digital platforms.
- What role will Glob.AI play in helping create these new fan journeys? How will it use real-time data and create new experiences?
Glob.AI is the AI system FIFA is using. It uses AI Pods, which combine specialised AI agents with human guidance, to help design, build, and improve digital experiences faster.
With Glob.AI, FIFA can build digital solutions that collect data from fan interactions across its digital platforms and use those insights to build a smarter, more connected ecosystem. This helps FIFA better understand how fans engage, what they’re interested in, and how content and services can continuously evolve to improve their experience.
The key is that this system is designed to be adaptable to different tournaments. The platform does not learn or adapt on its own. Instead, FIFA’s editorial teams use the insights it provides to adapt and adjust the experience to the needs of each tournament, without having to build separate platforms for each one.
This could mean faster updates to digital products, quicker delivery of content, better personalisation on FIFA.com or the Tournament App, and more responsive engagement during match days and big tournaments.
- You talk about boosting efficiency – what does that entail when it comes to fan experiences?
The goal here is to give fans more of what they want, quickly.
For example, it could mean building a new app in days, not months or updating fan-facing digital products faster or delivering content during the live match, not three hours later.
The aim is to move from slow, disconnected digital services to a system where FIFA can react faster to fans’ needs. Early tests have shown a 20% boost in efficiency, with quality staying the same or getting better.
What improvements will FIFA see in getting more information about fans? Is the era of the “anonymous fan” ever really going to end?
Fans have autonomy here based on how they want their experience to be. Fans can still decide how much information they share and how personalised they want their experience.
This work lays the groundwork for a more direct and helpful relationship with fans who use FIFA’s platforms. By making FIFA ID stronger and connecting more of the digital journey, FIFA can better understand how fans interact with football all year, not just during one tournament.
The World Cup is a great example. The whole world is watching and that is the time to attract huge numbers of fans into its platform.
This helps FIFA see which content, players, competitions, and platforms different fans like. With this insight, FIFA can offer more relevant updates, better digital services, and more effective sponsor activities.
What plans are now in place for the next few years, particularly with the new domestic season beginning in Europe and the Women’s World Cup in 2027?
The aim is to build out an ecosystem. This means FIFA will keep linking FIFA ID with new and existing digital platforms, and will design these services based on what fans need in different competitions and situations.
The goal is to create an experience that works before, during, and after big tournaments, whether fans are there in person, watching from home, or connecting with FIFA content between events.
Looking forward, the main goal is to make the system more useful and to be able to grow across FIFA’s worldwide schedule. The World Cup served as a great platform for many new fans to engage with FIFA and our goal is to continue enhancing FIFA’s direct connection with those fans and attract even more to enjoy these digital experiences.
And what will success look like to you? How far out will you be measuring the effects of this programme?
Success can be measured in the amount of global fans that engage with it, as well as the fans who stay way beyond the World Cup. This is a multi year and multi tournament initiative.
As this is a long-term change in how FIFA connects with fans online, FIFA will measure success over several years and many tournaments.
In general, success means more fans using FIFA’s platforms and finding them helpful, relevant, and worth coming back to.
There will also be operational measures, such as how quickly FIFA can launch or improve digital experiences. For us, success is building a more direct, continuous and valuable relationship with fans around the world.
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