Infobip launches PitchMate AI agent for football fans

Infobip has launched PitchMate, an AI conversational agent for football fans, extending its push into sports audience engagement.

Designed for messaging channels including WhatsApp and RCS, PitchMate lets fans select a favourite team and receive tailored schedules, fixtures and match statistics. It also offers quizzes, interactive games, match reminders and time-zone settings.

The launch marks Infobip's second sports-focused AI agent after RaceMate, introduced for the TGR Haas F1 Team. Available on WhatsApp and Apple Messages for Business, RaceMate offers race data, personalised content, team radio highlights, trivia and multilingual support through conversational exchanges.

Since its introduction, RaceMate has reached users in more than 60 countries. Infobip said the platform has handled more than 40,000 messages, recorded a 26.8% return-user rate, and seen some users return more than 25 times and exchange nearly 300 messages with the agent.

Sports focus

With PitchMate, Infobip is applying the same approach to football, one of the world's largest sports audiences. The agent includes Match Central for schedules, fixtures and statistics, and Fan Arena for quizzes and voice-based games in which users try to match a soundwave and receive an AI score in real time.

Users can also set match reminders and challenge friends through game features. According to Infobip, the service uses cross-session memory, allowing the agent to retain context between interactions and maintain an ongoing relationship with users throughout a tournament.

The move is part of a broader shift in how sports organisations interact with audiences on mobile channels. Rather than relying only on apps, websites or social media, conversational tools on established messaging services aim to keep fans engaged in the same places where they already communicate.

Jon Arnold, Principal at J Arnold & Associates, said the bar for digital fan engagement is rising. "Fan expectations have shifted. They want personalized, real-time experiences on their terms - and if a team or league doesn't deliver it, another entertainment option will. AI-powered conversational engagement is no longer a differentiator for sports properties; it's becoming table stakes," Arnold said.

Platform strategy

Both PitchMate and RaceMate run on Infobip's AgentOS platform, which combines generative AI, conversational data intelligence and omnichannel messaging in a single orchestration layer, according to the company.

Infobip is not presenting the sports products only as stand-alone fan tools. It is also using them as examples of how brands can deploy AI agents for customer engagement across sectors.

Infobip operates in cloud communications, providing businesses with tools for customer interactions, identity and authentication, and contact centre functions. Its network can reach more than seven billion mobile devices across six continents through more than 10,000 connections, including more than 800 direct operator connections, the company said.

The launch also reflects Infobip's broader emphasis on AI as it seeks to deepen its role in customer communications. Sports offers a visible use case because fan interactions are frequent, emotional and tied to live events, making it a useful testing ground for personalised messaging and real-time responses.

In football, the timing comes as competition for audience attention intensifies across streaming, social media and gaming platforms. Services that sustain interaction between live matches and offer fans direct, personalised updates may become more relevant as teams, leagues and sponsors look for ways to retain attention outside traditional broadcasts.

Krešo Žmak, Chief Innovation Officer at Infobip, linked the football launch to the earlier motorsport product. "With RaceMate, we've shown how AI can transform a fan's journey from watching a race to living it. Fans don't just follow the action; they are part of it. Now, with PitchMate, we give fans a personalized AI companion that knows their team, keeps them updated in real time, and invites them to interact and engage. This is the future of fan experiences - and it's powered by Infobip," Žmak said.