@Article{Iván-Baragaño2026,
journal="Biology of Sport",
issn="0860-021X",
year="2026",
title="Evolution of the offensive phase in women’s football: a longitudinal event-data analysis of passing sequences",
abstract=" The aim of this study was to analyze the evolution of positional attack through passing sequences in the FIFA Women’s World Cup (FWWC) 2019, the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022, and the FWWC2023. Specifically, the study sought to identify differences at the spatial level, in pass length, and in game tempo across these tournaments. To this end, a total of 123,754 pass events were extracted, preprocessed, and analyzed from the data provider StatsBomb. At the spatial level, differences were evaluated using the spatial coordinates of each pass, through contingency tables and the Chi-square statistic. Differences in pass length and game tempo were first tested using a linear mixed model, with tournament stage and year as fixed effects and team as a random factor; subsequently, a one-way ANOVA was applied for pairwise comparisons. Spatial differences were found for all passes (X²= 250.83, p \< .001) and for passes in the final third (X²=213.25, p \< .001). The linear mixed-effects model showed the existence of differences for the variables Pass Length and Pass Length (Final Third), whereas only one contrast was statistically significant for Pace of Play, and no statistically significant contrasts were found for the variable Pace of Play in the Final Third. Through the ANOVA test, pass length showed overall differences (p \< .001, ES=0.002) and differences in the final third (p \< .001, ES=0.0045), as did overall game tempo (p \< .001, ES=0.0001) and game tempo in the final third (p \< .001, ES=0.0001). The results highlight differences between competitions depending on performance; however, it is not possible to establish a generalized change in the overall playing model in women’s football. ",
author="Iván-Baragaño, Iyán
and Ardá, Antonio
and Niu, Zunqi
and Maneiro, Rubén",
pages="115--130",
doi="10.5114/biolsport.2027.165051",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2027.165051"
}