5 Startups Reshaping Fan Experiences at the World Cup

Jan de Vries · 2026-07-07

Most of us watched the World Cup from our couches, catching highlights online or tuning into the morning news. But the fans who were actually there? They lived a completely different story. It's not just the roar of the crowd or the electric atmosphere that makes live sports special. It's the tech woven into the stadium itself. Modern venues are becoming smart, connected hubs that make your experience smoother, faster, and more fun. Let's look at how they do it and the European startups building similar solutions. ### High-Speed Connectivity: The Backbone of the Smart Stadium You can't have a modern fan experience without rock-solid connectivity. Without it, you can't use mobile tickets, watch instant replays, order food from your seat, or share that epic goal on social media. Smart stadiums treat wireless infrastructure as a core utility, not an afterthought. Take the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. Their setup is massive: a 6G-ready Wi-Fi and cellular network, more than 5,000 miles of fiber optic cable, and over 2,000 wireless access points. All of it is designed to keep 75,000 fans connected at the same time. One European startup tackling this is Warsaw-based Microamp. They raised $7 million in June to build resilient 5G mmWave and AI-RAN wireless infrastructure. Their focus is on private 5G networks for high-capacity venues, making sure the connection never drops when you need it most. ### AI-Powered Crowd Management and Digital Twins Artificial intelligence helps venues predict where crowds will go, optimize staffing, manage lines, and even simulate how the stadium will operate. It shifts crowd management from reactive to proactive. For the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Lenovo built digital twins of all 16 tournament stadiums. These virtual models let organizers monitor and predict crowd flows, spot bottlenecks, and coordinate security across every venue in real time. A startup working on similar tech is UK-based Dexory. They added $10.6 million to their Series C to deploy autonomous robots and an AI-powered digital twin platform. While their focus is on logistics, the same technology can easily be adapted for stadium operations and venue flow optimization. ### Frictionless Entry, Payments, and Retail Nobody likes waiting in line. Frictionless tech removes those bottlenecks by making every interaction faster. We're talking mobile ticketing, biometric access, cashless payments, app-based ordering, and checkout-free stores. These systems don't just make fans happier; they unlock new revenue for venues by speeding up transactions and boosting per-person spending. Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington, is a great example. They use palm-based entry and payment at a checkout-free concession stand. Fans just scan their palm, grab their food, and walk out. No lines, no fuss. Amsterdam-based Silverflow raised $40 million in a Series B to expand its cloud-native payment infrastructure. Their platform focuses on in-store payments and broader card-network support, making it easier for venues to go cashless. ### Immersive Media: The Stadium as a Media Platform Modern stadiums aren't just places to watch a game. They're becoming media platforms themselves. Augmented reality, second-screen experiences, interactive screens, and immersive displays make live events more participatory. They also create new opportunities for sponsors to engage with fans in creative ways. - **Augmented reality overlays** can show player stats or replays right on your phone screen. - **Interactive screens** let fans vote on the best play or play trivia during halftime. - **Immersive displays** wrap the entire stadium in video, making you feel like you're part of the action. These technologies turn every fan into an active participant, not just a spectator. And as stadiums evolve, we'll see even more ways to blend the physical and digital worlds. > "The best part of live sports isn't just the game. It's the feeling of being part of something bigger. Tech just makes that connection stronger." ### The Takeaway The World Cup showed us what's possible when you combine world-class sport with cutting-edge technology. European startups are leading the charge, building the infrastructure, tools, and experiences that will define the future of live events. Whether it's faster Wi-Fi, smarter crowd management, or checkout-free concessions, the goal is the same: make every fan's experience unforgettable.