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 $$A_{\textrm{FB}}$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msub> <mml:mi>A</mml:mi> <mml:mtext>FB</mml:mtext> </mml:msub> </mml:math> near the weak boson mass scale in the present and forthcoming stages of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Besides recovering earlier results on the $$A_{\textrm{FB}}$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msub> <mml:mi>A</mml:mi> <mml:mtext>FB</mml:mtext> </mml:msub> </mml:math> 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 $$A_{\textrm{FB}}$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msub> <mml:mi>A</mml:mi> <mml:mtext>FB</mml:mtext> </mml:msub> </mml:math> asymmetry for the electroweak SMEFT fit and precision Z -boson physics at the LHC and high-luminosity HL-LHC.

Exploring SMEFT couplings using the forward–backward asymmetry in neutral current Drell–Yan production at the LHC