@Article{Cortez2026,
journal="Biology of Sport",
issn="0860-021X",
year="2026",
title="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",
abstract=" 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. ",
author="Cortez, Alberto
and Folgado, Hugo
and Brito, João
and Yousefian, Farzad
and Abade, Eduardo
and Travassos, Bruno
and Gonçalves, Bruno",
pages="1713--1723",
doi="10.5114/biolsport.2026.160856",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2026.160856"
}