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BOFA TIPS FRANCE FOR WORLD CUP, AI HEDGES ON SPAIN

Who will win the World Cup? Bank of America’s survey says France, but artificial intelligence says it could also be Spain.

The first 'AI World Cup' will combine human performance and machine intelligence — and $41 billion in global GDP is hanging in the balance, BofA analysts led by Haim Israel said in a report.

Kylian Mbappé is tipped as top scorer, Lamine Yamal is the likely player of the tournament. But the stakes extend well beyond the pitch.

With 48 teams, 104 matches and 16 host cities spread across the United States, Canada and Mexico, the tournament is expected to draw 6.5 million fans — nearly double the previous record — while more than 6 billion people engage globally, roughly three-quarters of the world's population.

The economic footprint is vast. The global sports industry generated $2.3 trillion in revenue in 2025, making it the world's 10th-largest economy, BofA said. Sectors best positioned to benefit include beverages, sportswear, restaurants, broadcasting, social media and online betting.

The 2026 tournament alone is projected to support over 800,000 jobs globally, with the U.S. accounting for roughly 185,000, a study by FIFA-WTO showed.

BofA sees artificial intelligence moving from a support tool to a control layer for the event. More than 90 petabytes of direct tournament data are expected to be generated, with the final match alone potentially consuming up to 7% of global internet traffic as viewing shifts decisively from linear TV to streaming and mobile platforms.

The tournament begins June 11.

(Karen Brettell)

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