Apple and Real Madrid are shooting soccer in VR

Like being at the stadium, even while sitting at home, according to Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez. First comes a documentary, later live sports in VR.

In early 2026, Apple and its partners will begin streaming select NBA games in VR format, captured on Blackmagic cameras in up to 8K 3D at 90fps and streamed to Apple Vision Pro at bitrates of up to 150Mbps.

A similar deal now appears to be taking shape with Real Madrid, giving European viewers the chance to watch soccer – football – in Apple Vision Pro as if they were there in the stadium.


First a documentary…
In an interview with the Spanish newspaper GQ, Florentino Pérez, president of Real Madrid, and Eddy Cue, VP of Apple Services, reveal that a documentary shot in Apple Immersive Video format will premiere next year on Apple Vision Pro.

The documentary was filmed with the same Blackmagic cameras, reportedly more than 30 of them, during the Champions League match against Juventus. In October, over 100 of these cameras were spotted at Real Madrid’s Bernabéu Stadium.

 Also read: First look at Apple Vision Pro: A video revolution


…later live sports
The next step will be live VR broadcasts of matches from Bernabéu, although no timeline was provided.

- "Apple and Real Madrid are working together on a project I have been pursuing for many years, allowing any fan to experience the atmosphere of the Bernabéu as if they were here in the stadium," Florentino Pérez told GQ (machine-translated).

- "The closest thing to that experience will be the new virtual reality immersion we are developing with Apple. I call it the Infinite Bernabéu, a place where anyone, from their home, will be able to experience a live match with a sense of presence and emotion that until now was impossible. It will be like opening the doors of the stadium to the entire planet, without limits, without barriers, and with a level of technological quality that will mark a before and after in the world of sports."

In October, Apple launched an upgraded Apple Vision Pro headset with the M5 chip. The headset is still available only in a handful of countries.

- Source: GQ