The impact of technology on the future of football – A global Delphi study

Abstract

The speed of technological innovation in football has drastically increased in recent years. Therefore, we examine the impact of (digital) technologies on the future of association football up until the year 2026. In this regard, we also take into account diverging socio-economic circumstances in different parts of the world. We use a two-round sequential Delphi method to gather both quantitative and qualitative data from an expert panel consisting of 85 technical directors from official FIFA member associations. In total, we test ten future-oriented projections and collect information about participants' work experience, sentiments, as well as their individual attitude towards technology. While experts generally agree that the importance of technology in football will continue to increase, we find differences in perception among sub-groups of experts (e.g., smaller associations express an even higher desire for technologies to be implemented) and identify two distinct future scenarios. Thus, our study sheds light on multifaceted opinions towards technology diffusion in football. This unprecedented global perspective allows governing bodies to understand the industry's expectations, desires, and reservations, which helps building a better understanding for the needs within the global football ecosystems with respect to emerging technology innovations.