united bid 2026 innovation...

UNITED BID 2026 INNOVATION INITIATIVE

16 MARCH 2018

UNITED BID 2026: INNOVATION INITIATIVE

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Preliminary Innovation Initiativesa. United Bid Partner Cities Program

b. United 2026+ Innovation Centers

c. Master Digital Infrastructure

d. Field Technologies – Grass 2.0

e. Fandom, Behavior, and Happiness

f. United Bid Social Football Challenge

g. Museum Partnerships and Virtual FIFA World Cup™ Village

h. Football as a Service

Overview

TABLE OF CONTENTS


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This supplementary report has been developed to consider the role of innovation as part of the United Bid and its hosting vision and strategy for the 2026 FIFA World Cup™.

IntroductionBig changes tend to coalesce around major events. These events call for innovation and advancement. This is especially true of great sports events – such as the FIFA World Cup™.

Often “innovation” has been synonymous with technology advances – holograms, virtual reality, 3D video, intellectual property transfer and delivery, LED screens, and brand-enhancing sponsorship tools such as dynamic advertising boards, providing technology-enhanced visions of football.

However, for the United Bid, innovation is beyond technology and lives outside, as well as inside, the stadium. Innovation is at the heart of the United Bid and woven through all that we do and will evolve with the natural pace of change coming from our communities and the world.

1. OVERVIEW

Eight years from 2018The year is 2026 and the major cities of the world are becoming increasingly connected and networked – internally, regionally and globally – via infrastructure technology. From transportation to resources, cities are already reaching towards the total concept of “smart”. City planners have already incorporated first-generation dashboard and Internet of Things (“IoT”) technology into their functional systems, allowing for optimal use of public services. Consumers are more connected than ever, almost without trying.

The year 2026 is the beginning of a new lifecycle for urban and regional growth and the start of an era defined by the “Real-Time City”, operating and responding to the behaviors of its citizens. Aggregated data systems now reach across all co-factors that influence and impact the quality of life. From climate to transportation to energy to food supply, cities and regional centers are now better able to forecast and respond to rapidly changing events.

Innovation and FIFA 2.0FIFA has an exceptional record of innovation. Although the iPhone was only launched in June 2007, FIFA was already offering a new media content package in 2006 at the FIFA World Cup Germany™. Less than a decade later – at the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014™ – fans could watch the same high quality, high-definition coverage on smartphones and tablets as they could on television. With every successive FIFA World Cup™, a quantum leap forward takes place.

Innovation has a significant role in FIFA’s future vision for football and the world. There were very specific objectives outlined in their FIFA 2.0 report, including developing a fan interaction management system, modernizing the ticketing function and improving FIFA’s digital and mobile strategy. FIFA is even contemplating venture investments to champion new technologies that enhance


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the fan experience. This would provide FIFA with a unique opportunity to guide the evolution of the in-stadium experience and shape the future of content distribution in ways that leverage data and analytics to meet the needs of individual supporters.

FIFA’s new vision makes it clear that: “FIFA will leverage technological advances to improve the quality of the football experience – from developing players on the pitch, to communicating with fans at home, to producing the optimal showcase competitions”. The United Bid understands and embraces this vision and has used it to inform our thinking around innovation – generally, and the development of this report.

Innovation at the heart of the United BidThe United Bid will work with FIFA to integrate new and emerging concepts into the DNA of the 2026 FIFA World Cup™. We are focused on innovations that are not necessarily technical but often enabled or enhanced by technology. Our approach prioritizes seemingly simple but significant opportunities to support FIFA and its future vision for football and the FIFA World Cup™.

The knowledge, imagination, enthusiasm, and commitment across our Host Countries and Candidate Host Cities make anything possible – opening up a world of opportunity.

Our desire is to help to shape the FIFA World Cup™ for the rest of the 21st century and beyond, by supporting FIFA and showcasing the power of football to make a meaningful impact through Unity, Certainty, and Opportunity. That includes:

• Re-imagining and improving the fan experience, to deepen the level of engagement by existing fans and provide new fans with the opportunity to physically connect with the event and – with each other;

• Delivering a continually rewarding FIFA World Cup™ experience in every aspect – from the staging of matches and supporting events, to transport and information systems for fans;

• Developing tools to further improve the game itself, such as engineering next generation natural playing surfaces that can be used in domed stadiums;

• Encouraging changes in attitude and behavior by football fans and the wider public touched by the FIFA World Cup™ experience and the sport at large in order to collaborate in efforts that uplift humanity;

• Researching/uncovering/producing information and insights on fans behavior that will help FIFA expand the game and its commercial/sustainability benefits; and

• Establish football as the most socially responsible sport.

Our contribution and approachCanada, Mexico, and the United States can make a meaningful contribution through innovation to the benefit of FIFA, its member associations, the game of football, and the FIFA World Cup™. Our efforts are designed to extend and enhance all aspects of the United Bid hosting vision and strategy.

More importantly, our approach to innovation is collaborative, iterative, programmatic and constantly advancing – to ensure the United Bid, FIFA, and the entire global football community stay current and take advantage of new opportunities through technologies as they emerge.

The pillars of our innovation approach include:

• Constant Process: Innovation is a constant process for eight years, starting when the privilege of hosting the competition is awarded;

• Legacy: We believe 2026 is the mid-point of the journey, not the finish line;

• Long-Term Impact: Innovations should benefit the competition, the communities and countries where it is staged, member associations around the world, and future generations of players and fans;

• Leverage Innovation Culture: North America has a tremendous track record for innovation and a culture that encourages and rewards new ideas; and


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• Be a Catalyst: United Bid’s innovations will be designed to accelerate the success of football in North America and future FIFA World Cups™.

Harnessing a Culture of InnovationThe pace of innovation is accelerating. Changes are happening at incredible speed. We cannot predict the new innovations that will be pervasive in 2026. However, we can put in place the foundation and set clear priorities for systems and services applicable to FIFA’s needs that are fully flexible to the introduction of new advances between now and 2026.

At the heart of the United Bid is a belief in the importance of innovation and a conviction that Canada, Mexico, and the United States are ready to work closely with FIFA to meet the challenges of hosting the world’s greatest event on an entirely new scale, while contributing to the experience that football fans will enjoy. Consistent with the overall approach taken by the United Bid, our thinking about innovation is applied to, and integrated within, our plans for the EVENT, the GAME, the FANS, and the WORLD.

The passion and capacity for innovation in Canada, Mexico, and the United States does not solely reside in our entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. Innovation is ever present in communities throughout our three Host Countries.

We are grateful to have this amazing asset – a culture of innovation. Our communities love learning about new advances and helping to create them when we can. The United Bid will strive to harness this rich tradition of innovation for the benefit of FIFA.

Because all of our stadiums and other infrastructure are built and operating, we can focus our energy and resources on exploring new ideas and advances to help engage fans and visitors. Along with FIFA, we can accelerate the development of the sport at individual and professional levels and deliver an environmentally-responsible FIFA World Cup™.

With Unity, Certainty, and Opportunity, the United Bid knows it can harness its culture of innovation to support FIFA by hosting a spectacular FIFA World Cup™, with innovation and new ideas deployed throughout.

Developing Our Innovation Initiatives During the bidding process, the United Bid engaged with leading innovation experts, technology companies, researchers and visionary entrepreneurs to brainstorm potential ideas for the 2026 FIFA World Cup™. We convened workshops and other small discussions over the course of several months to explore new opportunities.

We also worked closely with our Candidate Host Cities to collect insights and plot local applications for different ideas across various aspects of our bid, and more. The scale and potential influence of these cities – representing over 170 million people in their combined metro areas – is impressive and the United Bid is encouraged by the level of support from and their strong interest in engaging with the United Bid’s innovation initiatives.

The following are some of the initial questions that helped to drive our thinking about innovation in relation to the 2026 FIFA World Cup™:

• Hosting the FIFA World Cup™ is a once a generation opportunity, so how can we maximize the full eight years of planning to deliver a legacy that has lasting effects for future generations?

• Can we extend the extraordinary experience of a FIFA World Cup™ to fans beyond the stadiums, the FIFA Fan Fests™ and Host Cities?

• How do we harness the unbridled enthusiasm of hundreds of communities, big and small, across North America that want to play a role in supporting the 2026 FIFA World Cup™?

• If we can sustainably grow lettuce indoors (without soil!), why do we have to replace an indoor grass football pitch after 72 hours?


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• How can we design, capture, enhance, and scale the economic and social value and impact of football-based programming on child development, integration of communities and providing access to sport for girls?

• How can we accelerate the growth of the game in our region, and make football more accessible to everyone?

• What can we do to support FIFA and its member associations to get the most out of the “smart cities” of tomorrow?

• How can fan behavior expand the game and its positive impact?

We are just scratching the surface of the issues and questions to be explored as part of the United Bid, across North America and on behalf of FIFA, football and the world.

The United Bid, in partnership with FIFA, has the opportunity to mobilize an unprecedented effort to advance innovation initiatives across our three Host Countries.

Beyond stadiums, infrastructures, and an incredible culture of technological innovation, Canada, Mexico, and the United States have amazing resources to draw from, including:

• the rich and amazingly beautiful culture of Guadalajara;

• the magical entertainment from the streets of Montreal;

• the supercharged engine of technology from the heart of Silicon Valley, Seattle, Miami, Monterrey, Toronto, and other technology hubs;

• the elite hospitality partners coming from world-class tourism cities like Montreal, Orlando, and Mexico City, and

• the vast diversity across the three Host Countries and within our communities.

To leverage these resources and realize the most from the opportunity of hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup™, our three countries will work with FIFA to build the foundations for sustained innovation.

Strategic AreasFrom the moment when the privilege to host the Competition is granted, continuing through the staging of the event and for years beyond, United Bid would commence the development and implementation of a wide range of innovation initiatives focused on five Strategic Areas: Cities, Technology, Research & Development, Social, and Education.

For each Strategic Area, we will develop a series of working groups to explore the innovation initiatives outlined in this report, and others. The working groups will include advisory boards of leading innovation and technology advisors drawn from all of the Host Countries and include dedicated teams to guide and drive innovation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup™.

CITIES: United Bid will work with FIFA to establish the United Bid Partner Cities Program (the “Partner Cities Program”), an unprecedented organization expanding the reach of the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ to enable the active involvement and participation of tens or hundreds of cities beyond the Host Cities. The Partner Program would create a network of Partner Cities vested in the achievement of the goals FIFA and United Bid set to achieve.

TECHNOLOGY: United Bid will establish, in partnership with FIFA, the United Bid Technology Advisory Group, an organization including representatives of top technology advisors and leading innovation leaders from North America. With the rapid pace of technology development, the Technology Advisory Group will be an organization devoted to providing insights, guidance, leadership and recommendations to the United Bid and FIFA for the eight years leading up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ and provide valuable insights into trends and forthcoming developments that will impact FIFA and future FIFA World Cup™ events.

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT: United Bid will establish, in partnership with FIFA, the United Bid Research & Development Advisory Group, an organization including representatives of the top universities, research centers and foundations in North America. This Group will help the United Bid develop solutions that could have lasting impacts on the EVENT, the GAME, the FANS, and the WORLD.


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SOCIAL: The United Bid will establish, in partnership with FIFA, the United Bid Social Advisory Group, an organization including representatives of the top NGOs, social innovation experts, and social responsibility centers in North America. This Group will help United Bid develop a new blueprint for social impact through football, which embeds our commitment to human rights, development of the sport, and seek quantify how football benefits society overall. The approach will incorporate science-based approaches, technology, and partnerships across sectors to maximize impact.

EDUCATION: The United Bid will establish, in partnership with FIFA, the United Bid Education Advisory Group, an organization represented by the top educators in North America, leading education companies and members of the education departments within city, state and national governments. This group will develop plans for United Bid and FIFA to partner with museums, libraries and other science and technology-related academic programs to create curriculum, installations and events around football, technology and social impact.

Strategic Areas Preliminary Innovation Initiatives

CITIES Partner Cities Program

• Play Spaces Everywhere

• Sister Cities Programs

• Community Integrations

• FIFA Fan Fest™ without Boundaries

TECHNOLOGY United 2026+ Innovation Centers

Master Digital Infrastructure

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT Field Technologies

Fandom, Behavior, and Happiness

SOCIAL Social Football Challenge

EDUCATION Museum Partnerships and Virtual FIFA World Cup™ Village

Football as a Service


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2. PRELIMINARY INNOVATION INITIATIVES

The United Bid will work with FIFA on a wide range of Innovation Initiatives focused on five Strategic Areas: Cities, Technology, Research & Development, Social, and Education.

For each Strategic Area, the United Bid has outlined plans for a series of working groups to explore the innovation initiatives introduced in this report, and others.

These efforts will benefit from the tremendous level of support and resources available through supportive constituencies including: federal, state, and local governments; the football Federations in Canada, Mexico, and the United States and throughout the CONCACAF region; our Host Cities; other communities across the three Host Countries; clubs; universities and school systems; leading technology corporations; and research institutes. These Innovation Initiatives will be developed and implemented within the FIFA regulations and guidelines.

In spite of the expedited bid process, the United Bid has conducted an initial review of a wide range of innovative concepts and the process of learning, distilling, and revising ideas is continuous. The United Bid has consolidated its findings, developed initial thinking on a series of innovation initiatives, integrated ideas into the full bid submission – and prepared this report to summarize incremental opportunities for FIFA, its member associations and the 2026 FIFA World Cup™.

SisterCities

PartnerCities

HostCities

16

10-100

200+


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United Bid Partner Cities Program:With FIFA’s support, the United Bid will work to establish the United Bid Partner Cities Program (the “Partner Cities Program”), including a network of Partner Cities vested in using innovation for the achievement of goals FIFA and the United Bid.

Leveraging tremendous support and enthusiasm from cities across North America, we envision there will be multiple levels of city participation beyond the Host Cities (e.g. Platinum, Gold, Silver and Satellite cities) providing an essential foundation for important links among local communities, FIFA, teams, players and fans. During the buildup to the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ these Partner Cities will support our innovations and work to grow the game and enrich the FIFA World Cup™ experience through a range of activities including: hosting events for local fans to watch games, interacting with teams, and enjoying the culture of their city through teams, food, art and people.

CITIES

The Partner Cities Program will be developed with the participation and support of the primary Host Cities and beyond. The Host Cities will be the epicenters for the Competition and, as a result of the Partner Cities Program, will be afforded even greater roles and opportunities before, during and after the 2026 FIFA World Cup™.

The Partner Cities Program would create a network of partner cities vested in the achievement of FIFA and United 2026’s goals. Specific Innovation Initiatives include, Play Spaces Everywhere, Sister Cities Program, and Community Integrations.

Partner and Sister City Pyramid


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Play Spaces Everywhere: A core goal of the United Bid is to increase participation in the game of football throughout North America. While the Host Countries have witnessed significant development of the game, both in participation and fan engagement, as a total region we have significant and exciting potential for growth. To achieve the enormous potential of football in North America, our focus is on enabling greater participation in football via both structured and unstructured environments.

The United Bid’s social impact strategy includes a program called “Minutes From Football”, focused on connecting mini-pitches and other safe spaces to play as a network. Beyond the program, the United Bid will use its innovation focus to develop new ways to elevate unstructured play – embedding it into communities, capitalizing on new technologies to measure our success and to distribute training to the individual level (vs. requiring the communities to field teams, have access to coaches, etc., at all times).

Extending the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ throughout North America

CANDIDATE HOST CITIES – Coverage 140 million people

POTENTIAL PARTNER CITIES – Additional coverage 100 million

UNITED 2026+ INNOVATION CENTERS

PLAY SPACES EVERYWHERE


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Sister Cities Program: The United Bid will work with FIFA to establish the United Bid Sister Cities Program with the goal of directly extending the spirit of the FIFA World Cup™ globally through established partnerships with Host Cities. The Sister Cities Program would utilize technology to demonstrate unity between North America and the rest of the world and create a network of cities outside the Host Countries that are engaged in FIFA and its competitions.

The Sister Cities Program will have two key elements:

• CONCACAF: They United Bid, within FIFA regulations, will establish Sister City partnerships between Host or Partner Cities and the capital cities of CONCACAF member associations to promote the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ and build excitement and fan engagement.

• Rest of World: From all our Candidate Host Cities, there is a total of over 200 potential Sister Cities.

The United Bid will work with Host Cities to develop programs, events and initiatives to extend, beyond our borders, the excitement and engagement surrounding the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ and see if there are ways to tap into other member associations to involve them.

8285

2815

261

24

27

Europe

Asia

Africa

CONCACAF

IN TOTAL

Middle East

South America

Our 45 Candidate Cities are twinned with 260+ global cities.

Sister Cities Program


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Community Integration: Working with FIFA, the United Bid Community Integration effort will look at ways to deepen connections to existing fans and attract new fans to fall in love with football. The group will formalize a process for developing ideas, vetting ideas, entering into the right process, centralizing planning efforts and effectively disbursing resources to augment the impact of football-oriented community events within the three host countries. The goal will be to augment community efforts for togetherness, increase the amount of football being played, and teach the sport through creative means.

By making football accessible, fun and social, the United Bid will encourage a whole new generation of players, fans and supporters. Community integration is all about giving a grassroots opportunity to anyone who wants to get involved, in whatever ways they find compelling. Enabling communities to leverage a platform of a major event that is so large and compelling will be both empowering and useful. Over a multi-year period, the types of initiatives that the United Bid hopes to develop with FIFA will have a significant impact on efforts to grow the game and diversify approaches to fan engagement. By breaking down barriers and connecting through art, food, and culture, we will enable everyone to share in the positivity and inclusiveness of football.


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From transportation to education to sustainability initiatives, cities across North America – and especially our Candidate Host Cities, are already focused on achieving “smart” status. Many cities have already incorporated first-generation Internet of Things (“IoT”) technology into their functional systems, allowing for optimal use of public services.

There is no technology advancement that will not change or improve by 2026, so the United Bid is focused on working with FIFA to:

• Embrace the rapid pace of change;

• Leverage the deep technology resources available within our three Host Countries;

• Build flexible digital infrastructures to support new technologies; and

• Build the infrastructure to focus innovation efforts on football, FIFA and the Competition.

The United Bid will establish, in partnership with FIFA, a Technology Working Group, including top technology advisors and innovation leaders from North America.

This group will provide insights, guidance, leadership, and recommendations to the United Bid and FIFA around trends and forthcoming developments. Specific Innovation Initiatives include the United 2026+ Innovation Centers and the United Bid Master Digital Infrastructure, which can have a life far beyond 2026.

United 2026+ Innovation Centers:The United Bid will work with FIFA to establish United 2026+ Innovation Centers (the “Innovations Centers” or “2026+ IC”) – a multinational network of football and FIFA World Cup™-focused incubators and innovation centers stretching across our three Host Countries. These centers will pursue business concepts and new ideas focused on the four priority areas of United Bid: the EVENT, the GAME, the FANS, and the WORLD.

The United Bid will work with FIFA to identify and invite partners who could bring value to the Innovation Centers and support the businesses and concepts that emerge from the 2026+ ICs. We plan to establish a 2026+ IC in each Host Country immediately following the Initial Operational Phase and run six-month or nine-month theme-based incubation boot camps focused on specific opportunities aligned with FIFA priorities.

The United Bid will also seek to establish working relationships between the 2026+ ICs and established technology incubators, particularly ones already aligned with Candidate Host Cities. This approach will ultimately lead to the establishment of a progressive community of innovation focused groups working on football-related challenges (e.g. the Innovation Social Impact Challenge that will engage students, universities and the tech industry to connect young thinkers, technology, football, entrepreneurism and societal good).

TECHNOLOGY


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United 2026+ Innovation Centers (CAN/MEX/USA)

InvestorsVenture CapitalAngel InvestorsPrivate Equity

Strategic Investors

UniversitiesR&D CentersResearchers

Corporations and Technology Leaders

FIFAFIFA Members

Acceleratorsand Incubators

GovernmentCity, State and Federal

Govt Incubators

INCUBATION PROCESS: IDEA GENERATION TO VENTURE CREATION

PRE-INCUBATION POST-GRADUATIONAPPLICATION INCUBATION GRADUATION

IDEA START-UP ENTERPRISE SUCCESSFUL VENTURE

Idea Generation

Research

Technology Identification

Entrepreneurship

Awareness and

Development training

Business plan preperation

& other Skill Set

Development Trainings

Submission of

business idea

Business idea presentation

Concept validation

Feasibility study

Signing of MoU

New Product/Process

development

Market development

Patent/Trademark

Certification

Fundraising

Training & Networking

Technology Launch

Technology

Commendation

Business and Growth

assessment

Client assessment

Expansion

Graduation programme

development

Monitoring

Training

Business support

Networking

FUND

PHYSICAL SPACE

NETWORKING

SKILL SETS TRAINING

MENTORING

The innovation map

United 2026+ Innovation Centers: Process


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United Bid Digital Infrastructure: The United Bid will work with FIFA to blueprint a technology platform that can unify the fan and operator experience across smarter Host Cities to support the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ and future FIFA World Cup™ related activities. The unified platform would be integrated seamlessly with existing FIFA technology (e.g. FIFA’s Event Management Platform) to connect Host Cities, stadiums, and organizations across the global football ecosystem.

The initial goals of this unifying digital infrastructure including:

(i) allowing heterogeneous technology infrastructures (from a range of technology stacks at cities, venues and event partners) to communicate seamlessly across all channels, with a special focus on enabling conversational commerce (e.g. Amazon’s

Alexa or Apple’s Siri) to drive better real time customer communication and profiles, and on harnessing diverse security systems to simultaneously improve safety and assistance,

(ii) enabling easy integration of the FIFA Event Management Platform and other technologies developed by FIFA,

(iii) empowering the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ to harness future technology advances in smart cities, IoT, security, event management, fan engagement etc., and

(iv) establishing a framework to advance and evolve with accelerating technology developments.

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Seamless Fan & Player Journey

SustainabilityThrough E�ciency

RevenueAttribution

DiscoverSurroundings

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Unifying Platform to Connect FIFA With Cities

Connectivity Recognition Location Transactions Sensing Integration

Enterprise Systems Security Data Stores Comm. Channels Wifi Safety Systems Transit Systems Point of Sale Systems

MULTIPLE CITIES

UNITED BID DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE


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Canada, Mexico and the United States are home to 47 of the top 100 global universities, 399 Nobel Prize Winners and our industries have received over 70% of the global venture capital investment in the past decade. We also offer have a network of advanced research centers scattered across North America. We are grateful to have this amazing asset – a long tradition of research and development – and the United Bid will work with FIFA to identify opportunities to invest in research and development in selected areas to help benefit the global football community in the future.

The United Bid will establish, in partnership with FIFA, a Research & Development Working Group, including representatives of the top universities and research centers in North America. This group will provide insights, guidance, leadership and recommendations related to trends and forthcoming developments that could have lasting impacts on the EVENT, the GAME, the FANS, and the WORLD. Specific Innovation Initiatives include the Field Technologies, and Fandom, Behavior, and Happiness.

Field Technologies – Turf 2.0: In partnership with FIFA, the United Bid will work to support the FIFA Quality Program for Football Turf and invest in the development of new field technologies. Specifically, the United Bid will enlist the help of leading grass innovators to explore the development of a hydra-turf solution that can be grown and maintained in an indoor facility (e.g. domed stadium). This would be natural turf, not artificial, which would eliminate need to replace grass after each match.

The most advanced hybrid surface available to date was used with some success for the 2016 Copa Centenario USA at the Houston’s NRG Stadium. While the turf met the challenge of providing hybrid grass turf technology in 2016, the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ offers us time to address a few additional key elements, calling for an extended team approach:

• Extended competition period – need to keep the field in perfect condition for an event which will run up to 30+ days.

• Football specific surface – the sport of football requires certain characteristics that might not have been included in previous improvement efforts.

• Varied climates – geographical diversity of venue sites leads to varied climate conditions – this will affect the competition period, as well as, the selection of farms where the grass can be grown.

• Global focus – there is no bigger event with greater demands of field quality than the 2026 FIFA World Cup™.

To most effectively execute the goals of this project, the team will include top agricultural and educational research institutions, leading field management personnel from top stadiums and facilities who have experience with relevant venue geography and event types, as well as, former players or administrators with expertise in football.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT


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Fandom, Behavior, and Happiness: The United Bid will work with FIFA to explore a longitudinal study of the relationship between the game of football, levels of fandom and how to influence behavior. This would begin as an academic study, connecting behavioral science to social impact and support a series of experiments (e.g. using the host cities as a laboratory).

• The insights and data collected across North America would lead to new models for harnessing and driving fan engagement – resulting in new ways to leverage football’s passion for the greater good. Also, to attract new fans and create new lines of revenue for FIFA and its partners.

As part of this effort, the United Bid will work with FIFA to explore the development of a Fan-Happiness Index to quantify the correlations between football and happiness/well-being. By conducting a long-term analysis of Fandom and Behavior, the United Bid and FIFA will gain incredibly valuable insights into fans and their economic and social behavior and help define best practices for FIFA, its commercial partners, the United Bid and future FIFA World Cup™ hosts.

ADDITIONAL INITIATIVESSocial: The United Bid will establish, in partnership with FIFA, the United Bid Social Working Group, including representatives of the top NGOs, universities, social innovation experts and social responsibility centers in North America. This Working Group will help the United Bid develop a new blueprint for social impact through football, which embeds our commitment to human rights, development of the sport. It will seek to quantify football’s benefits to society overall. The approach will incorporate science-based approaches, technology, and partnerships across sectors to maximize impact. Starting in North America to then expand worldwide, this roadmap addresses FIFA’s 2.0 vision and the scope of Football for Hope.

Museum Partnerships and Virtual FIFA World Cup™ Village: With FIFA’s support, the United Bid will partner with museums, libraries, and other science and technology-related academic programs to create a program/curriculum, installations and events around sports/football, tech and social impact. Working with groups like The Tech (in the Bay Area), Canada Science and Tech Museum and Universum in Mexico City, the United Bid will aim to engage youth with the power of sports through technology. This initiative can connect with the existing FIFA Museum. Through AR/VR/MR experiences hosted by science centers across the globe, a virtual FIFA World Cup™ village has been created, providing experiences previously only available to fans in host cities to millions of fans across the globe:

• Kids participate in virtual skills clinics and kick balls back and forth across continents.

• Teens compete in organized gaming opportunities.

• Fans talk to players, coaches and each other in virtual cafes and pubs.

• Families spread across the world root for their home country teams together, with prime seats on the virtual sideline.

Football As A Service: We will approach this like a technology startup, offering easy access, enabled by technology, to football-related training, education, play spaces, and other infrastructure. This Football As A Service-style approach will allow FIFA, its members associations, partners, and individuals to have equal opportunity to expand and enhance tools that would otherwise be operating on their own.

We are committed to building the platform to enable this network and making it open so that everyone benefits. In so doing so, we will complement and bolster existing capabilities, helping football to grow in reach and influence while still remaining affordable and accessible to everyone. This will enable our three countries and FIFA to extend the sport into areas not served by existing efforts.


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CONCLUSION The United Bid believes it is able to make a very special, additional contribution to FIFA and the future of the FIFA World Cup™ through our investment in, and commitment to, innovation as part of our hosting vision and strategy.

Working closely with FIFA and some of the best technology minds in the world, we can help to integrate emerging concepts into the DNA of the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ and confirm its position as the most immersive sports experience on earth, while amplifying its beneficial effects for everyone.

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