Pedro Pinto will once again take the mic as Master of Ceremonies at WFS Madrid, guiding the conversations on stage at the summit’s 10th anniversary edition on 15–16 September at La Nave.
Pinto returns to the role after serving as MC at WFS Madrid 2025. The Portuguese broadcaster is the CEO of the PR agency Empower Sports and a presenter for DAZN in Portugal, with a career that spans CNN and a stint as UEFA’s communications director.
As MC, Pinto is looking forward to seeing two of the decade’s biggest shifts debated further on stage: the arrival of data science at clubs, which he says has “completely revolutionised the way decisions are being made when it comes to scouting and recruitment on and off the pitch,” and the decentralisation of football consumption, as streaming platforms go head to head with traditional broadcasters for major rights, “reaching fans on their mobile devices wherever they may be.”
He’s just as keen to hear where the conversation goes next. For Pinto, the biggest change of the coming decade will play out at the stadium itself, as clubs and national teams work to keep fans coming back “in a ferociously competitive attention economy where people have increasingly more options to spend their time and money.”
WFS Madrid 2026 takes place on 15–16 September at La Nave, marking the 10th anniversary of the event’s founding with its most ambitious edition yet. Thibaut Courtois, who will present his investment platform NXTPLAY, opens a speaker lineup that also includes Iñigo Riestra (President, Mexican Football Federation), Michael Williamson (CEO, Wrexham AFC), Maheta Molango (CEO, Professional Footballers’ Association), Craig Hepburn (former Head of Digital Strategy, UEFA) and rally driver Christine GZ.
