Davinson S\u00e1nchez of Colombia read the pass perfectly the whole way to the far post and used his head to smash the ball into the back of Portugal\u2019s net<\/a>. The goal was in stoppage time, Colombia and its fan base were in rapture, and the game appeared to be won.\u00a0<\/p>\n That is until the head referee of the match changed everything.\u00a0<\/p>\n CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXBUSINESS.COM<\/a><\/p>\n Lenovo during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D match between the USA and Paraguay at Los Angeles Stadium on June 12, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. (Joe Scarnici – FIFA \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n S\u00e1nchez was ruled offside, and soccer fans around the globe couldn\u2019t believe it. It appeared that S\u00e1nchez was right next to his Portugal opponent when the ball was kicked by his teammate, and there was no way the goal was being called off.\u00a0<\/p>\n But during the FOX broadcast<\/a>, the ruling made more sense to the viewer, whether they were upset or not, because a 3D avatar of S\u00e1nchez was shown offside \u2013 by the literal front of his boot.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s moments like these, and many more, that are showing how Lenovo, the official technology partner of FIFA, is making an impact on the fan experience, both at home and in the 16 different stadiums across three countries, throughout this tournament with its AI-powered solutions.\u00a0<\/p>\n LENOVO’S AI-POWERED 3D AVATARS, REFEREE VIEW AND MORE ARE SET TO TRANSFORM THE 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP<\/a><\/p>\n “This is a sponsorship that goes well beyond just a logo,” Cathy Meister, executive director North American PC & Smart Device Sales at Lenovo, told FOX Business during a roundtable discussion about the impacts on the World Cup thus far. “Being the official technology sponsor, we are truly the end-to-end backbone of all the operations. Our technology, everything from mobile phones all the way to our storage and infrastructure, our AI-powered services, truly end-to-end, Lenovo is showcased in powering these games.”<\/p>\n The AI-powered 3D digital avatars are a perfect example of how Lenovo is helping improve not just the fan experience, but the game itself. Before the tournament began, each team had their players 3D reconstructed to replicate them precisely on the pitch to support FIFA\u2019s match officials in their offside decision-making.\u00a0<\/p>\n A 3D avatar of Colombia’s Davinson S\u00e1nchez shows that he was offside thanks to Lenovo AI technology. (Lenovo\/FIFA \/ Fox News)<\/p>\n We\u2019ve seen it on multiple occasions throughout matches in the World Cup, giving players, coaches, and fans in the stands and at home the visuals of how a tool that helped a crucial call come to be on the pitch.\u00a0<\/p>\n Then, in the locker rooms, meeting rooms and training pitches, every team has access to FIFA AI Pro, a groundbreaking AI-powered enterprise knowledge assistant that has been delivering data analytics and performance insights for countries participating throughout the tournament.\u00a0<\/p>\n This specialized football interaction tool is “leveling the playing field,” as Meister put it, giving teams that may not have the most robust analytics teams within their squad access to millions of data points, metrics and rapid insights following each match. We\u2019ve seen smaller clubs in terms of manpower, like Cape Verde, DR Congo and others, shock the football world against powerhouse clubs.\u00a0<\/p>\n Could FIFA AI Pro have aided in that? Either way, that\u2019s the vision for this World Cup and others moving forward.\u00a0<\/p>\n Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing and FIFA President Gianni Infantino speak at the event. (Lenovo\/FIFA \/ Fox News)<\/p>\n From the Intelligent Command Center, the control room for the tournament, creating “digital twins” of each venue to allow predictive planning to optimize the event experience, “Smart Wayfinding,” which allows matchgoers to streamline their experiences at venues, and the referee cam, Lenovo knew it could take on these 104 FIFA World Cup matches and provide an improved experience from every aspect of this great game.\u00a0<\/p>\n The partnership itself was one that Breanna Reader, Senior Communications Manager North America for Lenovo US, said came together with a dinner between top marketing officials within the technology powerhouse, where they dreamed big.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Throwing ideas out, and it was one of those stories where it was like, \u2018What could we do?\u2019 FIFA came up, and that\u2019s how the idea started,” Reader said. “FIFA has such a high standard of excellence and precision. It was lengthy conversations, and we had to prove the rigor of our technology and our expertise in that space. So, it\u2019s best summed up as a true partnership. There were lots of conversations about how we could enhance the experience, what they needed from a technology partner. Just testing and talking about it as we went.<\/p>\n “FIFA, we all know the high degree of excellence and precision, and we needed to back it up. It shows we did.”<\/p>\n And Lenovo isn\u2019t done yet.<\/p>\n Shot of Lenovo’s Technology Operations Center for FIFA in Miami. (Lenovo\/FIFA \/ Fox News)<\/p>\n GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE<\/a><\/p>\n There are still big matches to go, including the World Cup Final on July 19 at New York\/New Jersey Stadium. But the company has already proven it can help bring players, coaches, fans and everyone surrounding the World Cup closer to the game than ever before through groundbreaking innovation.\u00a0<\/p>\n Looking ahead, the Women\u2019s World Cup in 2027 in Brazil will be yet another opportunity Lenovo will put its stamp on the game. And just as they have with their other sports partnerships, including F1, the Dallas Cowboys<\/a> and Carolina Hurricanes, they will take learnings from this World Cup and apply it to their next challenge.<\/p>\n “We\u2019ll carry on the technologies that we developed, and I\u2019d imagine we\u2019ll have learnings along the way and continue to innovate and continue to improve the fan experiences. The Women\u2019s World Cup is contained to Brazil so \u2013 I don\u2019t want to say easy \u2013 but after three countries and 16 different stadiums, I believe we\u2019ll be ready,” Meister said.<\/p>\n Follow Fox News Digital\u2019s\u00a0sports coverage on X<\/a>\u00a0and subscribe to\u00a0the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Lenovo](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/lenovo-fifa-world-cup.jpg\")
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