International Sportstech News

Professional Sports Authenticator’s parent company, Collectors, is investing $US 200 million into the authentication and grading giant to expand operations over the next 18 months. PSA will use the new funding to grow the company’s physical footprint, develop and deploy new technology and hire for 1,000 open and planned positions through 2026. The industry leader in trading card authentication by submission volume, PSA graded over 19 million cards in 2025 — more than 14 million ahead of its closest competitor.

Genius Sports, a global leader in real-time sports data, announced it has completed its acquisition of Legend, a global, digital sports and gaming media network. With the acquisition of Legend, Genius Sports is uniquely positioned as the only company operating two synergistic businesses across official sports data and media and advertising.

Betterguards, a global leader in injury prevention and recovery innovation, has announced the acquisition of Nextiles, a materials science and wearable sports technology company. The integration of Nextiles and Betterguards creates a new wearables ecosystem and data platform designed to unlock capabilities across injury prevention, athlete recovery and performance monitoring. Both Betterguards and Nextiles were selected for the NBA Launchpad program in 2022.

Life Time is turning its 190+ clubs into a real-world testing ground for wellness tech startups. It wants to become a testing ground for the next big thing in wellness technology, unveiling a program called the Life Time Innovation Hub. Life Time is looking for companies in wearables, human performance and recovery tech, nutrition platforms, training software, AI for facility management, energy and water efficiency and infrastructure that improves the performance of large-scale spaces.

Pickleball Inc. has become the new parent company of the Carvana PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball following a $US 225 million structured investment led by Apollo Sports Capital. The capital raise results in the largest singularly-operated pickleball ecosystem in existence, integrating professional and amateur pickleball with leading technology, retail, and infrastructure platforms. Pickleball Inc.’s newly-merged business verticals generated over $US 140 million in 2025 revenue on a combined basis.

The withdrawal of backing for LIV Golf by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), last week showed even a trillion-dollar cash cow has its limits. But the PIF’s exit from LIV Golf was not just about value, but more the first big step in a wider strategic shift by the PIF and Saudi kingdom to redirect many of the billions it spends around the world to home, ahead of the 2034 FIFA World Cup.

Major League Soccer (MLS) has announced the 2026 cohort of the MLS Innovation Lab, its flagship initiative focused on identifying, deploying and scaling the next generation of sports technology. Now in its third year, the program brings together leading startups from around the world to actively test and prove cutting-edge solutions in three areas of focus: player performance, fan engagement, and media production. The five companies selected in this years cohort are Springbok Analytics, Orreco, Fit:match, Advanced Image Robotics and WMT AI Ticketing.

The sports industry continues to represent one of the fastest growing segments of the global media and entertainment economy. In 2025, revenues collected by the sports IP owner ecosystem reached an all-time high at $US 174 billion, extending the upward trajectory of the past decade. The sports IP market has exhibited an underlying compound annual growth rate of 6% since 2015, almost twice the rate of global GDP growth. The market remains on course to exceed $US 260 billion by 2033.

World Athletics boss Lord Sebastian Coe said he will not "strangle" the innovation that has led to a new market in super shoes. However, the two-time Olympic 1,500-metres champion told the BBC that the governing body had a "regulatory responsibility" to the sport. Super shoes have come under the spotlight again after last weekend's record-breaking London Marathon, where Sabastian Sawe became the first man to run sub-two hours for the 42.2-kilometre distance in an official race. He was wearing Adidas's new Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 shoe, the first to weigh less than 100 grams. Adidas claims the technology within the latest version of its super shoe, including advanced foam and carbon-infused "energy rods" assists in generating high energy return and improves running economy by 1.6 per cent.

WIPO (the World Intellectual Property Organisation) has released a new report on sports intellectual property, covering patents, trademarks and designs. Asia accounts for 63% of patents and 76% of design filing, with China and India emerging as the fastest growing regions. Whilst Europe leads the way in trademarks (42%), reflecting a dense concentration of clubs, branding and commercial entities. The most significant sports for innovation is golf, soccer racquet sports, whilst swimming and cricket are achieving strong growth.

Teamworks, the operating system that powers more than 7,000 elite sports organizations globally, has announced a significant growth investment led by Hg, a leading investor in technology, data and services businesses. This investment more than doubles Hg’s total investment in Teamworks to $US 200 million. This latest growth investment moves Teamworks’ valuation to above $US 1.5 billion. Alongside its investment, Hg brings significant operational resources to support AI development, including their AI product incubation program.

InStudio’s stakes in the Buffalo Bills and the Los Angeles Chargers, acquired via a partnership with another firm, are the most attention-grabbing names anchoring a $US50 million sports and performance fund the Los Angeles-based firm is launching. However the fund plans to invest the majority of its assets in earlier-stage startups bringing AI into sports. InStudio participated last year in Springbok’s $US 5m series A round, which counted the NBA’s venture capital arm among its investors.

TPG, a leading global alternative asset management firm, has announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire Learfield, the USA's leading media and technology company powering college athletics. The company serves as the monetization engine for collegiate sports intellectual property (IP), linking more than 12,000 brands and over 1,200 institutions with an integrated suite of sponsorship and media solutions, ticketing technology, licensing management, name, image, and likeness (NIL) strategy, and AI-enabled data platforming.

It was only revealed a few days ago and yet the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 is now a record breaker. Adorning the feet of Sabastian Sawe as he powered his way to a sub-2 hour marathon and new world record at the 2026 London Marathon, this is the lightest racing shoe from Adidas ever, weighing in at an average of just over 97 grams. It’s 30% lighter than the previous iteration of the shoe. It also has a 39mm stack, maximising the cushioning and energy return.  The major change from the Pro Evo 2 is the carbon technology in the shoe has been totally redesigned.

The NFL announced today that it is partnering with TMRW Sports to develop and operate a professional flag football league for women and men. The new professional league will launch with support from a broad and influential investor pool, including NFL clubs, established institutional and strategic investors, and current and former NFL players.

Playlist, the parent company of Mindbody, Booker, and ClassPass, has announced the closing of its merger with EGYM, a global innovation leader in smart fitness technology, AI-enabled workout programming, and corporate wellness solutions, establishing the world’s largest full-stack fitness and wellness operating system. The transaction, which included $US 785 million in new equity investments and values the combined enterprise at $US 7.5 billion

Wearable health leader Whoop has announced a funding raise of $US 575 million at $US 10.1 billion valuation which will be used for global expansion. The round was led by Collaborative Funding, and included investments from leading athletes Cristiano Ronaldo, LeBron James, Rory McIlroy, Virgil van Dijk, and Mathieu van der Poel. In the past 12 months, Whoop has received medical clearances and launched blood testing. Whoop are building a personal, preventive health platform powered by continuous biometric data, advanced analytics, and AI to help people understand their bodies and improve their health in real time.

Global sportstech advisory firm, SportsTechX has released the 9th edition of the Global Sports Tech Ecosystem Report 2026. The report focuses on some of the structural shifts reshaping the sportstech industry, including consolidation of the industry, changes in direct-to-consumer broadcasting and the re-emergence of the competitive running sector.

Teamworks, a leading global sportstech company powering more than 7,000 elite sports organizations globally, has announced the acquisition of Pro Football Focus (PFF)’s enterprise (B2B) business. The acquisition includes PFF's proprietary game event data and analytics platform that NFL teams and collegiate football programs rely on daily.

As part of Nike and WSL Football’s multi-year partnership, Sportable’s Connected Ball and advanced tracking technology will bring new levels of performance insight and data to women’s football within the matchday and training environment. The Barclays Women’s Super League is the first football league in the world to use the technology. Sportable’s FIFA certified Connected Ball technology will be integrated into Nike’s Official Matchballs, with player-tracking systems to be deployed in Barclays WSL matches. 

Genius Sports has announced a new multi-year integrity, technology and AI partnership with the Pac-12 Conference to power the next generation of sports betting, integrity, fan engagement and monetization, and performance analysis in college sports. As part of the agreement, Genius Sports will deploy GeniusIQ, its data and AI platform, in every venue across Pac-12 football and men’s and women’s basketball competitions, creating a single, intelligent foundation for tracking data and video capture, real-time insights, and commercial activation.

CVC Capital Partners has raised $US 4.3 billion for its Global Sport Group (GSG) division after reportedly agreeing a complex financing deal with Pimco and KKR. The agreements value GSG at around $US 8.1 billion. The division was launched by CVC in September 2025 to host its multibillion-dollar sports portfolio, which includes investments made in soccer’s LaLiga and Ligue 1, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), Volleyball World, as well as Prem Rugby, the United Rugby Championship (URC) and the Six Nations.

McLaren has announced the launch of an exciting new venture, McLaren Golf.  This launch will extend McLaren’s DNA, built on decades of experience in elite motorsport and supercar engineering, into a new category, led by a dedicated team of golf-industry experts and world-class engineering minds.

ShotQuality, the AI-enabled real-time performance intelligence platform used by sportsbooks, market makers, and quantitative trading groups, has announced a partnership with Kalshi, the first federally regulated prediction market exchange in the United States. Kalshi and ShotQuality will work together around real-time event intelligence and structured data generation for live events and broadcasts.

Genies, an AI avatar technology company powering the next era of interactive digital identity, and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) have announced a licensing partnership to offer Genie avatars for NBPA member. This opens up new ways for players to connect with fans across games and apps. Through the collaboration, Genie avatars may be licensed to developers to create games and apps, supercharged by Genies' developer ecosystem.

The National Football League has launched the Innovation Hub Challenge, a pathway designed to move sports technology startups to integration-ready MVPs that could be piloted across the league. The Challenge is open to technology teams, organizations, and individuals with working products and demonstrated capabilities. There are three challenge categories - Fan Journey & Personalisation, Local Monetisation & Commerce, and Event Discovery & Global Engagement. Applications close 22 March, with the finalists showcasing their solutions 23-25 April.

Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) have announced they have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Paramount will acquire WBD, forming a premier global media and entertainment company. The deal is worth an estimated $US 111 billion. The merged company will hold one of the industry's most compelling and competitive portfolios of sports rights, including: the NFL, Olympics, UFC, PGA Tour, NHL, Big Ten and Big 12 Football, NCAA College Basketball, and Champions League.

In a move meant to bolster the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled digital health products, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has updated two guidances to ease its oversight of general wellness devices and clinical decision support (CDS) software. The agency said that the changes will provide product developers with more flexibility and predictability in bringing products to market, while ensuring that medical-grade products continue to be regulated.

FIFA has extended and expanded its integrity services agreement with Sportradar, a leading global sports technology company creating immersive experiences for sports fans and bettors, for an additional five years, reinforcing a long-term partnership dedicated to safeguarding the integrity of football worldwide. The renewed agreement, which runs through 2031, provides comprehensive AI-driven bet-monitoring services and now includes expanded intelligence and investigation support and dedicated risk assessment services for both FIFA and its 211 member associations.

Sports betting and technology leader Genius Sports' annual revenue for 2025 hit $US 669.5 million, up 31% for the year. The business is expected to continue to grow strongly in 2026, with revenues expected to hit over $US 800 million. Upon completion of the acquisition of Legend, Genius expects to further strengthen their position at the intersection of official data, fan identity, and real-time content.

WHOOP, the wearable human performance company, has announced plans to add more than 600 new roles across software, research & design, hardware, product, and marketing as the company continues to scale globally. The majority of new roles will be based at the company’s iconic Boston headquarters in the heart of Kenmore Square, with additional hiring across North America, Europe, the GCC, and Asia.

Novig, the fastest growing sports trading platform in America, has announced the close of a $US 75 million Series B round of funding. The investment follows a period of growth for the platform, which reported a 10x increase in trading volume during 2025. Novig's annualized trading volume currently exceeds $US 4 billion. Although sports account for the majority of activity on most prediction market platforms, those products are not built with sports traders in mind. Novig, by contrast, is built for sports fans, delivering a fair, transparent, and commission-free trading experience. 

Zenniz, one of the world's leading provider of smart tennis court solutions, has completed a new $US 6 million funding round. The raise will accelerate Zenniz’s ongoing global growth. With systems already in operation on 4 continents and in over 25 countries, the Finland-based company is now establishing its North American Headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. In June 2025, Zenniz also became one of the first vendors in the world to be certified by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for line calling in international tournament play for club-level systems.

The Premier League is launching a Netflix-style direct-to-customer streaming platform from next season, chief executive Richard Masters. Premier League Plus will be launched initially in Singapore and, if successful, could be replicated all around the world. The new platform could eventually transform the way fans consume the most popular league in the world, which says it has a global audience of 1.87 billion people and is watched in 189 countries.

BatFast, the global sports simulation technology company, has announced the appointment of former Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. The appointment marks a pivotal moment for BatFast as it accelerates international expansion of its AI-powered sports simulation platform, which integrates advanced robotics, computer vision ball tracking, machine learning analytics, and immersive gamification to deliver world-class training, entertainment, and fan engagement experiences.

SportIQ, a company that develops smart basketballs and in-app shooting coaching technology, has raised a total of $US 6.2 million in a Series A funding. The company develops connected sports balls that combine sensors, analytics, and AI to support performance tracking. Its sensor system and analytics app, which are covered by multiple patents, are used in the Spalding TF DNA basketball. The system uses a sensor embedded in the ball’s valve to track shooting performance, collecting data such as shooting position, power, angle, and technique. 

It has been announced that a “Standard for a Common Exchange Format for Match-Data in Football (Soccer)” will be developed through the IEEE Standards Association. This standard establishes a uniform and standardized format for providing digital data arising from football (soccer) matches. The standard includes data from the following sources: match sheet data, video data, event data, tracking data, match meta data, and player physical data. Usage of this data includes performance analysis, fan engagement, medical analysis, wagering, and coaching. The Working Group will be led by sports data and standards experts including Jesse Davis, Joris Bekkers and Sam Robertson.

The Juventus Football Club has launched an open innovation program called Juventus Forward. The initiative represents the heart of Juventus’ open innovation, a strategic bridge between the club, start-ups, partners, talents and a community working on sport, technology and applied innovation. As part of the program CDP Venture Capital will relocate its Accelerator dedicated to the Sportech and Wellness vertical from Rome to Turin, making the Allianz Stadium a new national hub for sports start-ups and business acceleration. Whilst The Players Fund will support Juventus as a strategic partner of the Innovation team, bringing an international perspective, benchmarks and expertise through global scouting activities.

The NFL and StatusPRO, a sports entertainment and technology company that combines AI and performance data with emerging technology to create experiential content, has announced an expansion of their partnership, granting StatusPRO new rights that enable the company to build a device-agnostic training product. The newly secured rights align with StatusPRO’s vision of building a unified platform spanning training and gaming. Powered by AI and telemetry data from sports leagues, the platform delivers simulated content that enables fans, athletes and coaches to play, watch and learn the game, deepening engagement across the sports ecosystem.

FIFA has announced PlayerData as a FIFA Preferred Provider for Player Tracking within the framework of the FIFA Quality Programme for Electronic Performance and Tracking Systems (EPTS). This two-year agreement recognises PlayerData as an industry leader, with expertise contributing to the development of technical standards for EPTS.