The FIFA Museum in Zurich has opened a groundbreaking special exhibition showcasing how innovation and technology are shaping the future of football, from refereeing to fan engagement.
Zurich | By Sayer Zaland
The FIFA Museum has unveiled its latest special exhibition, Innovation in Action, offering visitors an immersive journey through the cutting edge innovations transforming global football.
Organized in partnership with FIFA’s Innovation Team and several of the organization’s technical departments, the exhibition explores how data, technology, and creative engineering are redefining the game, not to replace human skill or decision-making, but to enhance fairness, safety, and fan experience.
Structured around five core themes, Broadcasting and Media, Intelligent Data, Refereeing and Fair Play, Staging the Game, and Innovation Lab, the exhibition provides a behind the scenes look at the tools shaping modern football. Visitors can explore historic broadcasting cameras, test decision making in a simulated Video Assistant Referee booth, and analyze real player data from the FIFA Player App, used in major tournaments like the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.
Among the notable artifacts on display is the water bottle used by Canada’s goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan during the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, annotated with penalty insights, a symbol of how analytical preparation has evolved even in the smallest details of the game.
Marco Fazzone, Managing Director of the FIFA Museum, described the project as “a nevern beforen seen opportunity for fans to step directly into football innovation and experience it firstn hand.”
The opening ceremony featured key figures such as Arsène Wenger, FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development, Johannes Holzmüller, Director of Innovation, and Pascal Zuberbühler, Senior Football Expert. They discussed how technological advancement must serve the spirit of the game, emphasizing that innovation should address real challenges without diminishing football’s human essence.
The exhibition will run from 1 October 2025 to 31 March 2026 and is included in the museum’s general admission. It also includes an Innovation Lab, where visitors are invited to imagine future technologies and propose creative solutions for football’s next generation.
The FIFA Museum, located in Zurich and operated by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, opened in 2016 as a global cultural institution celebrating football’s heritage. With over 1,000 exhibits, films, and multimedia installations, it attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors annually.
Innovation in Action continues the museum’s mission to link football’s past and future, following previous exhibitions that focused on women’s football, sustainability, and the World Cup legacy. This latest showcase underscores FIFA’s growing commitment to transparency and progress in the use of technology across all aspects of the sport, from officiating and player analytics to environmental efficiency in stadiums.
