AI will be everywhere AI is fast becoming a key component of high performance sport. It will be leveraged throughout the tournament to support preparation, performance and recovery. While it could increase the gap between larger and smaller nations, it might also give smaller nations a new edge. So could 2026 be the year in which AI genuinely contributes to a World Cup win? We won’t see an AI agent scoring a goal, or a robot coach calling the shots (at least not yet) but there is no doubt the winner of the tournament will have relied on AI along the way. In terms of who that will be – well, we could always ask AI. Paul Salmon, Professor of Human Factors, University of the Sunshine Coast; Isaiah Jesse Elstak, Research assistant, Centre for Human Factors and Systems Science, University of the Sunshine Coast, and Scott McLean, Adjunct Associate Professor, Centre for Human Factors and Sociotechnical Systems, University of the Sunshine Coast Disclosure statement Paul Salmon receives funding from the Australian Research Council Isaiah Jesse Elstak receives Commonwealth funding through an Australian government research training program scholarship. Scott McLean does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.