Some fans attending matches at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ will have noticed something a little bit special in front of their seat: a personalised Lenovo device, complete with match data, the ability to watch replays, and bespoke venue information.
The likes of FIFA World Cup™ winner Ronaldo, Inter Miami CF owner David Beckham, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino have been treated to the experience, which has been trialed in Miami and New York / New Jersey. The technology will be available in more venues at next year’s FIFA World Cup 26™.
Lenovo and Motorola Mobility, a Lenovo company, partnered with the landmark club football tournament taking place in the United States, providing essential hardware, services, and smart solutions to FIFA and all 32 qualified teams.
In addition to integrating such technology, both Lenovo and FIFA have taken this opportunity to strengthen their relationship ahead of the biggest FIFA World Cup™ ever next summer.
“This is a story of collaboration, not just of technology,” said Daryl Cromer, Lenovo’s VP and Chief Technology Officer of its Global Innovation Center, Intelligent Devices Group. “I was given the opportunity to work with FIFA and colleagues in Lenovo Research and across our business groups, focusing on improving the VVIP fan experience.”
With between 100-200 VVIPs attending each game and a dynamic guest list, FIFA’s challenge was to provide digital name tags that could be personalised quickly and easily on match day.
Lenovo Research developed a custom mount mechanism that allows the device – a Motorola edge smartphone – to rotate, is extendable and adaptable to the different seat configurations. With 16 different venues in use at FIFA World Cup 26, each with its own unique seating arrangement, the flexibility of the mounts is imperative.
This allowed FIFA’s guest services team to update seat assignments in real time and quickly guide the fans to their seat.
Another challenge was powering the hundreds of required devices efficiently and safely.
Lenovo Research team built a bespoke charge box to hold the devices, charge them, secure them at night, and ship them where they need to be at short notice. This is a hugely efficient time-saver, as guest services can place the devices in the charge box, close the lid, put the lock on, and the devices charge between games.
In an expansion of the project, a more immersive, personalised experience has been built with custom software by Lenovo’s Solutions & Services Group and presented on Lenovo Tab K11 tablets.
This allowed the VVIP fans to access real time match data and analysis as well as controllable replays of key moments in the palm of their hands. One of the most replayed moments was the possible penalty for a handball in the Chelsea v Fluminense semi-final. As the referee reviewed the play, so did the fans watching on their tablets.
Additional features are being considered for FIFA World Cup 26.
In order to deliver a flexible and ultimately successful solution, the Lenovo team were onsite for the set-up and tear down. This allowed Lenovo to quickly respond to FIFA’s requests to adapt and extend the requirements and add new features to the proof of concept during the tournament.
The experience has been well received by FIFA, who see the technology as an elegant solution to some of the challenges faced in top-end hospitality.
“The initial technology innovations implemented at this year’s successful FIFA Club World Cup provide an insight into the opportunities that exist between FIFA and Lenovo for the years and top tournaments ahead,” said FIFA Technology Head of Products & Business Engagement, Tito Suárez Díaz. “We’re thrilled with the results and look forward to introducing further innovations in partnership with Lenovo in both 2026 and 2027, as millions of fans unite for the biggest-ever editions of the FIFA World Cup and FIFA Women’s World Cup.”
The success of these trials means the immersive tablets and digital seatbelt will be rolled out across all the FIFA World Cup 26 venues, involving thousands of devices.
As well as scaling up this proof of concept, Lenovo and FIFA are discussing ways to improve the experience for FIFA World Cup 26.