The Biggest Sport in the World
The 2026 FIFA World Cup runs from June 11 to July 19, with 48 teams playing 104 matches across 16 host cities in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. It is the largest World Cup in history and the first ever co-hosted by three countries. For students, that is the perfect hook, and an even better excuse to do some real STEM.
The science behind the beautiful game
Modern soccer is measured, tracked, and optimized. GPS vests log how far players run in a match. Accelerometers capture the force behind a shot. Sports scientists watch hydration and recovery as closely as they watch the score. Wearable technology and data have quietly become part of the beautiful game, and they are a fantastic way in to physical computing.
You can bring that same science into your classroom with a micro:bit and the CHARGE power pack. CHARGE is Forward Education's wearable battery pack for the micro:bit. It straps the board to a wrist, an ankle, or a water bottle so projects go fully mobile. Each project below turns your students into sports scientists, and every one is free on our learning platform.
Three free projects to play this World Cup
⚽ Kick Power Tracker
Strap a micro:bit to your kicking leg and measure the force of every shot. Students use the accelerometer and the Data Logger to record kick strength, then graph the acceleration spikes to find their most powerful and most consistent kick. It is a real lesson in how athletes use objective data to improve their game.
You'll need: a micro:bit, MakeCode, and a CHARGE power pack with wrist strap.
View the free project →
👟 Step Counter
Footballers cover seven to nine miles a match, so how far do your students travel? Turn the micro:bit into a wearable step counter worn on the wrist or ankle. Every shake of the accelerometer adds a step, and the LED screen keeps the count. Students then compare totals, calculate class averages, and level up with step goals and victory sounds. Works in both MakeCode and MicroCode.
You'll need: a micro:bit V2, MakeCode or MicroCode, and a CHARGE power pack.
View the free project →
💧 Hydration Alert
Even the pros need their water breaks. Students program a hydration reminder that chimes every few minutes: a steady timer in the beginner version, a randomized interval in the advanced one. Clip it to a water bottle and stay match-ready all day. It is a friendly introduction to loops, timers, and random numbers, with a real-world health payoff.
You'll need: a micro:bit V2, MakeCode, a water bottle, and a CHARGE power pack.
View the free project →Make it a tournament
Run the projects as a World Cup of your own. Log everyone's kick power and crown a Golden Boot. Add up the class step count and chase a team goal across the week. Challenge students to remix the code: a louder hydration chime, a randomized kick target, a new victory animation. The tournament gives the data a reason to exist, and the coding gives students a reason to keep iterating.
Ready to kick off?
Every project here is free on the Forward Education learning platform. All you need to make them wearable is a micro:bit and a CHARGE power pack.
