China’s soccer team didn’t qualify for the FIFA men’s World Cup, which kicks off this week, but its tech is front and center at the tournament.

Qingdao-based Hisense is the official display partner for the video assistant referee systems, while Lenovo, as FIFA’s “Official Technology Partner,” is deploying servers in Texas to power the broadcast, as well as features like AI-enabled 3D player avatars.

Sports sponsorships in recent years have gone beyond traditional advertising: Alibaba Cloud used AI to improve instant replay systems during the 2026 Winter Olympics.

As soccer soars in popularity in China despite its national team’s underperformance, consumer brands are looking to a new local celebrity — a Chinese referee — to be their brand ambassador.