Match Demands of Specialized Positions at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023
Author Information
Author(s): Bradley Paul S.
Primary Institution: FIFA, Zürich, Switzerland
Hypothesis
This study aimed to benchmark the match demands of specialised positions at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023.
Conclusion
The study found that central and defensive midfielders covered the greatest total distance, while centre backs covered the least at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.
Supporting Evidence
- Defensive and central midfielders covered 5-15% more total distance than centre backs, wide defenders, and centre forwards.
- Attacking midfielders, wide midfielders, and forwards covered significantly more distance at high intensities than other positions.
- Centre backs and centre forwards showed pronounced changes in their relative sprint distances across tournaments.
Takeaway
This study looked at how much running different soccer positions did during the Women's World Cup, showing that midfielders run the most while defenders run the least.
Methodology
The study analyzed all sixty-four games of the tournament using an optical tracking system and FIFA’s Enhanced Football Intelligence metrics.
Potential Biases
Some disagreement may exist regarding positional assignments by the data provider.
Limitations
The data provider assigned positional roles based on tactical systems, which may vary across matches, and the physical data was limited to locomotor metrics.
Participant Demographics
806 players from various positions including centre backs, wide defenders, midfielders, and forwards.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.01
Statistical Significance
p<0.01
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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