Performance profiles and match-to-match variability of the kinematic most demanding passages in elite men’s football: analysis of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022
Universidade de Évora, Escola de Saúde e Desenvolvimento Humano, Departamento de Desporto e Saúde, Évora, Portugal
Universidade de Évora, Comprehensive Health Research Centre (CHRC), Évora, Portugal
FPF Academy, Portuguese Football Federation, Oeiras, Portugal
CIPER, Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, Universidade de Lisboa
Research Centre in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development (CIDESD), Department of Sport Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
Research Centre in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development (CIDESD), Elite Research Community, Vila Real, Portugal
Department of Sports Science, Exercise and Health, School of Life Sciences and Environment, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal
Biol Sport. 2026;43:1713–1723
This study investigated individual performance profiles and match-to-match variability of the kinematically defined most demanding passages (MDP) during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. The analysis considered different contextual factors: tournament phase (group phase vs. knockout), team ranking (top-tier vs. not-top-tier teams), match status (winning vs. not winning), and match outcome (win vs. not win), across three rolling durations (1, 3, and 5 min). A multifactorial kinematic MDP variable (MDPk) was computed as the maximal sum of the rolling average of distance covered at speeds above 15 km · h−1 across the defined durations and then decomposed into moderate-speed running (MSR; 15–19.8 km · h−1), high-speed running (HSR; 19.8–25.2 km · h−1), and sprinting (SPR; > 25.2 km · h−1). The total distance (TD) performed within the window was also considered. Cohen’s effect size analysis was used to compare players’ performance profiles and match to-match variability. In performance profiling, trivial results were observed, with the only significant difference occurring in 1-min SPR when the team was winning (23.0 ± 19.6 m/min) compared to when it was not winning (19.6 ± 18.0 m/min) (d = 0.19 [-0.94; 1.31]). Regarding match-to-match variability, the 5-min window showed the highest variability, with all contextual factors displaying small to moderate effect sizes. This was particularly evident for match status when not winning (TD, d = 0.60 [0.90; 0.19]; MDPk, d = 0.24 [0.55; -0.17]; MSR, d = 0.38 [0.74; -0.04]; SPR, d = 0.44 [0.73; 0.06]). These findings indicate that individual MDPk may not depend on contextual factors, but match-to-match variability should be expected when MDPk is analysed across different time windows. The existence of significant variability emphasizes the necessity for individualized training approaches to optimize preparation. This underscores the importance of monitoring these passages to enhance player conditioning and improve overall performance.
Keywords
Analysis, Variability, Football, Profiles, Peak Periods
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