Abstract Neutral current Drell–Yan (DY) lepton-pair production is considered to study Z -boson quark couplings. Using the open-source fit platform , we investigate the impact of high-statistics measurements of the neutral current DY (NCDY) forward–backward asymmetry $$A_{\textrm{FB}}$$ A FB near the weak boson mass scale in the present and forthcoming stages of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Besides recovering earlier results on the $$A_{\textrm{FB}}$$ A FB sensitivity to parton distribution functions, we analyze the precision determination of Z -boson couplings to left-handed and right-handed u -quarks and d -quarks, and explore Beyond-Standard-Model contributions using the Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT) framework. We perform a sensitivity study and comment on the role of the $$A_{\textrm{FB}}$$ A FB asymmetry for the electroweak SMEFT fit and precision Z -boson physics at the LHC and high-luminosity HL-LHC.
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