In July, the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey was the site of a jubilant moment for Spanish football as captain Rodri lifted the FIFA World Cup trophy, marking Spain's return to the pinnacle of international soccer. Over a span of five weeks and eight matches, the team showed its superiority, overcoming formidable opponents to secure the prestigious title for the second time.
As Spain celebrated this historic victory, the sports betting technology company Kambi was also reflecting on a significant feat of its own. The tournament marked their first ever fully AI-powered World Cup, a major technological milestone for the provider.
Throughout the 104 matches, Kambi's AI system processed over 100 million bets, essentially managing every aspect of the pricing lifecycle, from data ingestion to bet settlement. The platform experienced zero downtime, achieved an operator trading margin of 18%, and during the final match alone, it processed over one million unique bet combinations.
Setting an ambitious goal, Kambi aimed to facilitate the tournament entirely through AI. The outcomes provided compelling proof that such automated trading not only met the scale of the World Cup but also enhanced the betting experience for operators and their clients. "The FIFA World Cup draws global attention like no other sporting event, and it served as the ultimate stress test for our technology," stated Oliver Lamb, Senior Vice President of Trading at Kambi.
Lamb emphasized the success of the system: "We delivered a nearly limitless range of bet combinations, faster and more seamlessly than we’ve ever managed before."
Kambi's journey toward the 2026 World Cup began in 2021 with an investment in AI trading technology. The framework was first put to the test during the Qatar 2022 tournament and became fully integrated into their trading operations by 2024.
By 2026, the AI system had been proven across several seasons of top-tier competitions, such as the Premier League and Champions League, allowing Kambi to trade more than 70% of bets across its network, specifically in football and tennis.
Lamb described this evolution: "We’ve shifted from machine-assisted human trading to human-assisted machine trading." This transformation allows traders to focus their expertise on areas that require human judgment, such as developing and testing new product offerings, while AI handles the complexity of pricing and market management.
Kambi's approach reflects changing bettor preferences; the modern sportsbook no longer revolves solely around match outcomes. Bettors are increasingly looking to customize their bets around individual players or specific game events. For instance, the use of Bet Builder bets during the 2026 World Cup saw a significant rise, with a doubling in volume compared to the 2022 tournament. In-play Bet Builders, in particular, surged, showing a seven-fold increase in usage, accounting for 22% of all live bets compared to 3% just four years prior.
Player propositions accounted for 65% of Bet Builders, substantially up from 25% in 2022, further highlighting this trend. Kambi also noted that the player shots on target became its second-largest betting offer by turnover, alongside other popular bets like player scoring or assisting.
"Customers want personalized experiences and extensive options to create customized wagers in real time," Lamb remarked, indicating that manual trading is no longer feasible at scale to meet these demands.
AI innovations also enabled Kambi to significantly reduce the time delay for in-play bets. Through dynamic live delay technology, Kambi was able to create tailored delays for individual bets, enhancing user experience and reducing friction. The reduction in live betting delay exceeded 40% across the Premier League and World Cup between August 2025 and July 2026.
The benefits of these advancements are evident, leading to enhanced choice for customers, reduced suspension periods, and quicker bet acceptance—all factors that can aid in customer retention and profit maximization for operators.
Independent assessments conducted by Bettormetrics indicated that Kambi partners excelled in multiple performance metrics such as time to market and live uptime during the World Cup. Their live uptime in markets like over/unders on total goals outperformed other competitors as well.
Lamb acknowledged the importance of market performance: "All the testing in the world cannot tell you precisely where you stand against the rest of the market on the critical aspects of the product," he said.
Usage patterns from the World Cup highlighted that 63% of pre-match turnover came from bets outside the match-winner market, an increase from 57% in 2022. This underscores the need for depth beyond traditional betting options.
Post-World Cup, Kambi aims to expand its offerings by introducing more shots-on-target betting options prior to matches and automating intervals during play to create further betting opportunities.
Kambi is now extending AI trading to other sports such as basketball, ice hockey, and American football. Their long-term vision encompasses not just the automation of existing processes but the creation of entirely new products that cater to evolving demands at scale.
The ambition is to develop an on-demand sportsbook capable of matching the right bets with the right customers at optimal times. Lamb sees Kambi’s strong network of over 70 partners as a vital asset for achieving that goal, given the substantial liquidity and bet volume that enhances their risk management and product development capabilities.
Lamb noted, "AI is a buzzword in many sectors, but the betting and gaming industry is experiencing its influence profoundly." He added that realizing the benefits of AI requires both comprehensive data and skilled traders to harness the technology effectively. "True value comes from a combination of deep data and human expertise, which not every company possesses, and there is no quick fix to achieve it."
The World Cup showcased Kambi’s AI capabilities under intense pressure, and the next challenge lies in transforming that performance into innovative, on-demand experiences for partners and customers alike.
