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THE 2026 WORLD CUP IS THE MOST CONNECTED, AND MOST MEASURABLE, FAN EXPERIENCE EVER

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By Federico Pienvoi, CEO for MENA and APAC at Globant

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup in full swing across 16 cities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the tournament has marked a shift in how we experience sport, and how sport experiences us. With 48 nations competing for the first time and millions of fans flooding stadiums from Vancouver to Guadalajara, it is the most connected, most measured, most analyzed cultural event in history. Every cheer, every purchase, every swipe through a stadium app generates data points that paint an unprecedented portrait of fandom itself.

The pitch remains the same 100-meter rectangle it’s always been. Everything else? Unrecognizable. Step inside any of the tournament’s venues and you’ll encounter two stadiums occupying the same physical space. The first is the one your eyes see: 80,000 seats, manicured grass, the roar of nations colliding. The second is an invisible architecture of apps, sensors, and platforms capturing how you move, what you watch, where you linger, and what makes you reach for your wallet.

The Intelligence Layer

Since 2022, FIFA and Globant have worked side by side to transform a fragmented landscape of platforms into a connected ecosystem designed for continuity, performance, growth, and continuous innovation. Key initiatives included building the foundations of FIFA+, enabling unified fan identity through FIFA ID as the backbone of a direct-to-fan strategy, developing the Tournament App as the gateway to live event participation, and scaling global content distribution across competitions.

As the scale and complexity of FIFA’s ecosystem increased, Globant introduced AI Pods, persistent execution units where AI-driven workflows perform the work, guided and supervised by Globant experts, delivering a 20% improvement in efficiency and delivery speed, greater predictability across execution cycles, and full traceability across workflows and decisions. This model enables FIFA to move from fragmented fan interactions to a unified, direct communication channel where every fan becomes identifiable, reachable, and monetizable over time, turning fan engagement into a continuous, data-driven relationship that drives long-term growth.

For leagues, teams, and sponsors, this represents the ability to activate fan data in ways that feel valuable, turning anonymous spectators into known customers with preferences you can actually serve. In our work with LALIGA, Globant’s teams manage 900 terabytes of data across more than 400 digital assets reaching 260 million fans, a scale of operation that would be operationally and financially unfeasible without AI-augmented delivery.

Here’s where things get genuinely interesting: the same platforms transforming how fans experience matches are now reshaping how the matches themselves are played.

Ahead of the World Cup, Mauricio Pochettino, the Argentine tactician charged with resurrecting American soccer on the world stage, selected Globant’s Sportian Performance platform to support the US Men’s National Team’s tactical preparation. The platform brings match data, video, and AI-powered insight into a single workspace, giving coaching staff live, in-match intelligence rather than after-the-fact analysis.

Pochettino isn’t an early adopter taking a flyer on unproven technology. The same coaching intelligence platform is already trusted by all 42 professional clubs of LALIGA and the Belgian Pro League. When one of the most respected coaches in world football builds his in-tournament strategy around your data platform, that tells you where competitive advantage in sport is heading.

From Saudi Arabia to the World: Building Without Legacy

To understand where sports technology is heading, look to Saudi Arabia, which is hosting the AFC Asian Cup 2027 and the FIFA World Cup 2034. The Kingdom is going through a generational infrastructure build-out that offers a preview of what’s possible when you design systems from scratch rather than retrofit them onto creaking legacy architectures. Saudi Arabia’s AI market is projected to reach $16.90 billion by 2032, growing at a 34.3% compound annual growth rate, driven by Vision 2030 and sustained government investment in digital transformation.

The Saudi Pro League serves as a laboratory for what elite competition management looks like when AI is applied properly: intelligent fixture scheduling that balances hundreds of sporting and operational constraints, operational forecasting for stadiums and security, and AI-generated reporting that frees competition staff to focus on strategy rather than paperwork.

Traditional sports technology projects often require large teams, extended timelines, and unpredictable outcomes. Globant has developed a unique delivery model to address this challenge through its AI Pods, subscription-based, AI-native teams where supervised, agent-orchestrated workflows take on work that used to require large traditional project teams. These pods are delivering results up to seven times faster than conventional approaches, drawing on access to more than 140 large language models depending on the use case. Within FIFA partnerships, AI Pods delivered work 20% faster with greater predictability and full visibility into execution. The gains compound: agents execute, experts supervise, and clients receive governed outputs at scale.

So what does any of this mean for someone with tickets to a match?

It means the app on your phone will know when you arrive, guide you to your seat, surface the video highlights you actually want to see, and remember that you prefer your beer cold and your merchandise in medium. It means the sponsors surrounding you, on screens, on surfaces, in the augmented overlays you might see through your phone’s camera, will have paid for access to an audience they can actually measure.

It means the coaching staff of both teams on that pitch will have prepared using AI-powered analysis. And it means the data generated by your presence, your attention and your engagement will feed into systems that make the next tournament, and the one after that, marginally better at understanding what you want.

The 2026 World Cup is a spectacle of athletic excellence. It is also a global test of whether technology can genuinely improve how we experience the things we love. Millions of fans. Billions of data points. This World Cup, we are finding out what connected fandom really means.

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Hospitality

Stomping Grounds Marks International Coffee Day With Buy One, Get One Free Coffee and Bottomless Filter

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Stomping Grounds, the Aussie-owned café in Jumeirah 1, is marking International Coffee Day with an offer built around one simple idea: have another cup or three! On Thursday, 1 October 2026, guests who buy any coffee can pick one of two ways to keep going:

•Taking it away? Buy any coffee and get a second one of the same, free.
•Dining in? Enjoy bottomless filter coffee all day.

This year’s International Coffee Day is the first since the United Nations General Assembly formally recognised 1 October in March 2026, acknowledging the millions of farming households whose livelihoods depend on coffee.

“Every cup we pour started with one hardworking farmer and their family. They put in the hard yards all year, then we grind a few grams, push a couple buttons, pull a lever or two, draw a little leaf with the milk and take all the compliments, ” said Ryan Godinho, founder of Stomping Grounds. “So have another cup, ask the team where it came from, and give a quiet nod to everyone who got it here. We’ve been at this since 2015, and the best part is still seeing someone who popped in for a quick coffee settle in an hour later, second cup in hand, chatting with our team. That’s the whole idea.”

The coffee is roasted in Dubai by its partners at Specialty Batch, who have been pioneering the UAE’s specialty coffee scene since 2011 and have filled every grinder at Stomping Grounds since day one. The menu runs from its house blends through to rotating single origins and seasonal micro lots.

On the day, the filter brews will rotate through exceptional coffees from Brazil, Kenya, El Salvador and Colombia. Four countries, no passport required.

The baristas are trained, know their stuff and love a coffee chat. Guests can discover a new favourite micro lot or simply get a recommendation based on what they normally drink.

Whether you stick to your usual order, try something new or settle in for a bottomless cup of filter, it’s a good day to drink a little more and find out what you like.

About Stomping Grounds
Tucked away in Jumeirah 1, off the main roads and away from the malls, Stomping Grounds is an escape from the hustle: close enough to the water for a post coffee wander, far enough from the traffic that you can actually hear yourself think. Owner-operated since opening in 2015, it has a warm, rustic vibe, a menu built for people who properly enjoy eating, and an exceptional coffee programme roasted locally by Specialty Batch. It’s pet-friendly, so four-legged regulars are welcome too, and the team are switched on hospo professionals who care about the details, from the first coffee of the morning to the last plate out of the kitchen.

There’s plenty of free parking nearby, which makes life that much easier. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, afternoon tea, a quick cuppa, a laptop session, or one of those “I’ll just pop in for a coffee” visits that somehow turns into brunch. Happens to the best of us.

Terms:
Valid Thursday, 1 October 2026 only, during opening hours. Takeaway: one free coffee per coffee purchased; the free coffee must be the same drink, same size, and
is served on the same visit. Bottomless filter coffee is for dine-in guests only and runs all day with any coffee purchase. Cannot be combined with other offers. While coffee stocks last.

Details
Location: Villa 98, 12D Street (corner of 51st Street), Jumeirah 1, Dubai | Phone: +971 4 344 4451 | Hours: Monday-Thursday: 7:30am to 8pm; Friday-Sunday: 7:30am to 11pm | Instagram: instagram.com/stompinggroundsdxb | Website: stompinggrounds.me

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Tbilisi Youth Art Market is launching its first exhibition project in Tbilisi

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TYAM – Tbilisi Youth Art Market is launching its first exhibition project in Tbilisi. The project brings together emerging and independent artists, galleries, collectors, cultural institutions, and international experts from the art world.

The event will take place from September 25–27, 2026, at the National Palace of Youth, on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi. TYAM is a new platform created to support young and independent artists, increase their visibility, and establish connections with the broader art market.

The first edition brings together artists working in Georgia and abroad under the theme “COEXISTENCE.” The concept reflects the meeting of different generations, artistic practices, perspectives, and approaches within one shared creative space.

The programme includes an Art Market section, public and panel discussions featuring international guests, opportunities for professional networking and the development of an artistic network, as well as a special VIP programme. TYAM aims to become a new point of attraction for Georgia’s and the international creative community, connecting artists with collectors, galleries, institutions, and the wider public.

  • TYAM 2026, September 25–27, 2026
  • National Palace, Rustaveli Avenue, Tbilisi, Georgia
  • Tbilisi Youth Art Market
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Hospitality

COFFEE PLANET CELEBRATES SAUDI NATIONAL DAY WITH A TRIBUTE TO THE STORIES, MEMORIES AND PRIDE OF THE KINGDOM

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This Saudi National Day, Coffee Planet is inviting customers to celebrate the Kingdom through the memories, messages and everyday moments that make it feel like home.

As part of the celebrations on 23 September, Coffee Planet cafés in Hail and King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD), Riyadh, will be dressed for the occasion with Saudi flags and National Day decorations, creating a festive setting for customers to enjoy with friends and family.

At the centre of the celebration will be a Memory Board, where customers can leave a short message sharing their feelings, memories or pride for Saudi Arabia. The initiative will bring together personal reflections from visitors throughout the celebrations, creating a collective expression of what the Kingdom means to the people who live, work and spend time here.

Customers will also be invited to enjoy complimentary coffee and a dessert, adding to the relaxed National Day experience and giving visitors another reason to pause, gather and celebrate together.

The activation will take place at Garden Mall in Hail and KAFD in Riyadh, two locations that reflect the brand’s growing presence in the Kingdom.

For Coffee Planet, the National Day celebration is a natural extension of the role its cafés play in bringing people together, whether over a morning coffee, a catch-up with friends or a shared moment with family.

“Saudi National Day is about celebrating the Kingdom and the people who make it what it is,” said Allan Jones, Founder and Chairman of Coffee Planet. “We wanted to create an experience that gives our customers a chance to share their own memories and feelings of pride, while enjoying a simple moment together over coffee. It is a small gesture, but one that reflects the warmth and connection at the heart of the occasion.”

With Saudi Arabia’s coffee culture continuing to evolve, Coffee Planet has seen growing demand for premium specialty coffee and café experiences across the Kingdom.

“Saudi National Day is a proud moment for all of us at HB Brands and an opportunity to celebrate the Kingdom’s remarkable journey, its people, and its ambitions for the future,” said Abdullah Ihlaiel, Group Marketing & Business Development Director, HB Brands. As Coffee Planet continues to grow in Saudi Arabia, our focus is not only on expanding the brand’s presence, but on building a meaningful connection with the communities we serve. We are proud to be part of this journey and to celebrate this special occasion together with our customers across the Kingdom.”

The celebration reflects the spirit of Saudi National Day 2026 and its theme, ‘Our Pride is in Our Nature’, while giving customers an opportunity to mark the occasion in a way that feels personal, social and rooted in community.

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