Google teams up with Iraq and Morocco's football teams ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026

Google has announced a new partnership agreement with the national football teams of Morocco and Iraq which will see Google Gemini become the Official Technology Sponsor for the Iraq national football team and the Moroccan national football team. The partnership will see both teams use Google’s AI technology to celebrate the region’s rich sports culture and enhance the fan experience. Through the partnership, Google aims to close the gap between the fans and teams as they will use AI to create immersive content and provide the fans with engagement opportunities with their teams and players. 

Google had also announced a partnership with the Moroccan team recently with Google Gemini becoming the Official AI Sponsor of the Moroccan national football team. The partnership comes ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 which is set to take place between June 11, 2026 and July 19, 2026 across the United States of America, Canada and Mexico, who will be serving as co-hosts. The tournament will be the first World Cup with a total of 48 teams, moving ahead from the 32-team format and also will be the first time three countries will be hosting the tournament. 

Google released a statement, saying,

“Together with the football federations, we will launch a series of fan-centric activations, powered by Google Gemini, over the next three months. Fans can use Gemini’s Text-to-Image model (Nano Banana) to create custom cheering visuals, or compose team anthems with Gemini’s Text-to-Music model (Lyria)—bringing their support to life as if they were standing right on the field. Additionally, fans will be able to use Google Gemini to break down complex football rules, analyze match performance, and predict winning teams. This sponsorship underscores our commitment to supporting football enthusiasts in the Arab world, and making it inclusive and immersive for everyone.”