By 
For the first time in FIFA history, blind and low-vision fans are experiencing football not just as a sound, but as a feeling.
At the ongoing FIFA Club World Cup 2025™, fans in Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Seattle are using haptic devices that bring live match action to life through touch.
Developed by Ireland’s Field of Vision and U.S.-based OneCourt, the devices translate real-time data from the pitch into tactile movements across a small model of a football field.
“I’ve fallen asleep at games before because I had no idea what was happening,” said Anthony Ferraro, a blind fan at the Seattle Sounders vs. Botafogo match.
“Now I’m on the edge of my seat, I can feel the missed shot, the pass, the tension. It’s night and day.”
The devices, free to use at select stadiums include a magnetic ring that represents the ball, haptic vibrations to show passes and tackles, and optional audio commentary. It’s all part of FIFA’s push for greater accessibility at its biggest tournament yet, featuring 32 clubs from 81 countries.
In Philadelphia, students from the Overbrook School for the Blind used the technology during the Manchester City vs. Wydad AC match — no longer relying on someone to explain the cheers around them.
“Before, I waited for someone to tell me what just happened,” said RJ Lenhart-Warabiminami in Seattle.
“Now, I’m in it. I feel the build-up. I feel the moment.”
The idea was born from a university project, inspired by a photo of a woman helping her blind friend follow a match by touch. That simple gesture has grown into a global innovation, one that’s finally making football truly inclusive.
