“We want to describe, analyse, and interpret what is happening on the pitch to inspire technical experts and football fans. We will not only be collecting more data than before, but we will also be aiming to find the right balance between technical expertise and data. And we want to inform people about our technical observations directly and during the tournament itself, not months after the tournament.” The words of FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development Arsene Wenger on the eve of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. So tangibly, what does that mean?
Over the course of 64 matches, The FIFA Training Centre will take you inside the game like never before. The team in Qatar will be in the stadium analysing systems of play and tactical strategies. Supported by a large team of analysts monitoring, tracking, and coding the performance of every player, they will also note player movements with and without the ball, how many times they break through lines, and how much pressure they put on opposition ball carriers. This analysis means that over 15,000 data points will be collected per game. Taking this analysis to a new dimension, a fly-on-the-wall audio experience will put listeners inside a car with a team of experts from the FIFA Technical Study Group (TSG) as they travel to all 64 matches.
Members will break down the match they've just watched and provide unrivalled technical insight. Conversations that happen frequently behind closed doors in football, but rarely heard by the public, will be available to everyone. TSG members include: • Arsene Wenger - FIFA Chief of Global Football Development • Pascal Zuberbühler - former Switzerland international goalkeeper • Jürgen Klinsmann - FIFA World Cup winner with Germany and former USMNT Head Coach • Sunday Oliseh - ex-Nigerian FIFA World Cup star • Cha Du-Ri - former Korea Republic international • Alberto Zaccheroni - Italian manager who won Serie A with AC Milan and coached Japan at the FIFA World Cup • Faryd Mondragon - ex-Colombia goalkeeper who appeared at two FIFA World Cups To listen to the Podcast, you can subscribe on Spotify, or via the FIFA Training Centre. If detailed, colourful technical match reports are more your thing, the FIFA Technical Study Group are providing 50+ pages of post-match summary reports for all 64 matches. These can also be accessed at the FIFA Training Centre. The FIFA Training Centre is an innovative platform that is available to players and coaches across the world. With a comprehensive database of technical football information, the online academy features insightful resources developed by world-leading football experts and illustrates FIFA’s goal to harness technology for the benefit of the global game.