Perez pushes ‘Infinite Bernabéu’ VR platform for Real Madrid’s1bn fans on this planet – Inside World Football
Real Madrid is reimagining what it means to attend a match, even if you’re thousands of miles from the Santiago Bernabéu. The club is developing a virtual reality platform dubbed “Infinite Bernabéu,” a project championed by club president Florentino Pérez that aims to place supporters inside the stadium environment from anywhere on the globe.
A stadium without borders
The vision is straightforward but sweeping: turn matchday into a fully immersive, at-home experience that replicates the vantage points, atmosphere, and emotion of being in the stands. The initiative targets Real Madrid’s vast global community—often described in the billions—by removing geographic and logistical barriers that typically prevent fans from feeling part of the live spectacle.
How the experience is being built
To capture the intensity and nuance of elite football, the club has deployed more than 30 specialized cameras to record matches from a wide array of positions. A recent UEFA Champions League fixture against Juventus served as a test bed, with cameras placed throughout the stadium: player tunnel, pitchside, press gantries, and media areas. The goal is comprehensive coverage that can be reconstructed in VR with high fidelity.
The resulting footage will anchor a premium immersive experience planned for Apple’s Vision Pro headset in the coming year. Rather than a simple highlight reel, the content is being crafted to convey presence—how it looks, sounds, and feels to move through the Bernabéu on a big European night.
Tech at the heart of the new Bernabéu
The initiative dovetails with the stadium’s broader transformation, where technology is as central as concrete and steel. From advanced broadcast infrastructure to new digital touchpoints, the redeveloped Bernabéu has been designed to serve as a live entertainment engine. Infinite Bernabéu is an extension of that philosophy: a platform where live football and cutting-edge XR intersect.
What fans can expect
- Multiple perspectives that simulate moving through the stadium—tunnel, touchline, stands, and media zones.
- Spatial audio and high-resolution visuals aimed at capturing the scale and energy of a packed Bernabéu.
- Potential for interactive elements such as angle switching, replays, and layered match context.
While the project can unlock new revenue streams, the stated priority is fan access: giving supporters, wherever they live, the kind of matchday presence that used to be impossible without a ticket and a plane ride.
Pérez’s long-term play
At 78, Pérez continues to push the club into new territory, framing Infinite Bernabéu as the culmination of years of planning to make the stadium “feel open to everyone.” In his view, VR is the logical next step in how supporters experience football: intimate, immersive, and free from physical constraints.
Why this matters beyond Madrid
If successful, the platform could set a template for how top clubs engage their worldwide fanbases. Modern supporters demand access and interactivity; Infinite Bernabéu speaks to both. For the sport at large, it signals a shift from passive viewing to immersive participation—turning matchdays into events fans can inhabit, not just watch.
The bigger picture
For Real Madrid, the bet is that presence drives connection, and connection drives lifelong fandom. Whether you’re in the stadium or in your living room, the mission is the same: make every match feel like a seat at the Bernabéu. If Infinite Bernabéu delivers on that promise, it could redefine not just Madrid’s matchday, but the expectations of global football audiences everywhere.
