The first FIFA Innovation Conference which took place at the Home of FIFA on 12 and 13 November 2025, brought together a diverse community of football and technology experts to exchange ideas and explore how innovation particularly driven by collaboration can address the evolving challenges of the modern game. Organised by the FIFA Innovation team, the two-day event featured keynote sessions, expert panels and live demonstrations based on emerging technologies, bringing together professionals from FIFA Member Associations, confederations, technology providers, test institutes, the academic world, and sports organisations. The main sessions were streamed online, allowing attendance from across all six confederations. Under the theme “From Concept to Reality”, the event kicked off at the FIFA Museum where participants experienced the new exhibition, Innovation in Action, which takes visitors on an interactive journey through the evolution of football technology, from initial goal-line systems to the cutting-edge solutions shaping the sport today.

“The FIFA Innovation Conference is a chance for you to participate in shaping the football of the future,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino stated in his welcome speech via a video message. “Technology provides many new opportunities, and FIFA recognises that it is an integral part of modern society which we can use to drive progress at various levels. At the same time, we recognise that technology should only be used when it can help football, and not simply for the sake of it. To ensure this happens, we have set up the FIFA Innovation Programme which looks towards the future of football and sees FIFA work with stakeholders to develop exciting innovations that benefit the global game.” With inputs from FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström and the schedule led by FIFA’s Director of Innovation Johannes Holzmüller, the conference highlighted FIFA’s innovation road map, the ongoing work under the FIFA Innovation Programme and technical developments driven by Football Technology Centre AG, FIFA’s joint venture with Hawk-Eye Innovations Ltd. Officiating technology took centre stage, with a detailed review of innovations tested at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™, including body cameras for referees, advanced semi-automated offside technology and the new eight-second rule aimed at cutting down time-wasting by goalkeepers.

FIFA Referees Committee chairman Pierluigi Collina also presented FIFA’s vision for Football Video Support (FVS), which is aimed at making video review technology for refereeing decisions more accessible worldwide. Representatives from several regions shared impressions from their early experiences with currently trialling FVS in domestic competitions.

The event also focused on data-driven innovation, including the use of the Video Exchange Platform and new insights from broadcast tracking technology trials at FIFA youth tournaments. Presentations also explored the potential of data to enhance fan engagement, with case studies from the FIFA Rivals project and artificial intelligence-based initiatives presented by FIFA’s Official Technology Partner Lenovo. The spotlight later turned to infrastructure and pitch innovation, with experts discussing how FIFA’s global pitch data framework is improving natural playing surfaces across competitions. Attention was also drawn to new methodologies for floodlight testing that are already influencing stadium standards.

Interactive poster sessions and live demonstrations – including of referee body cameras, substitution tablets and FVS prototypes – allowed participants to experience these technologies first-hand, exemplifying FIFA’s commitment to practical, collaborative innovation. Overall, the inaugural FIFA Innovation Conference stressed the need for collaboration, and reaffirmed FIFA’s mission of driving progress through technology and making football more inclusive, safer and accessible for all.