The group stage of the first FIFA World Cup 2026™ to feature 48 teams has featured often unheralded teams from across the globe making a significant mark with even the strongest sides finding no shortage of stern tests, according to FIFA’s Technical Study Group (TSG).

Following the conclusion of the group stage, TSG members Pablo Zabaleta, Jon Dahl Tomasson, Gilberto Silva and Otto Addo, alongside FIFA Senior Football Expert Pascal Zuberbühler and Tom Gardner of FIFA Football Performance Insights, gave their first collective assessment of the expanded tournament at a media briefing.

“I love this tournament. I [also wondered]: ‘Wow, 48 teams, how will it go? Will the gap be massive or not?’ I think we have and we’ve seen all the answers, and we received all the answers. It’s fantastic to see teams performing,” said TSG Lead and former Switzerland goalkeeper Zuberbühler.

“It shows [clearly] that also the smaller nations against the bigger nations, the bigger names – that they are competitive. And this is something that we have observed so far with fantastic enjoyment.

“We didn’t have massive, big results, where they [lost] 7-0 twice or three times in a row. Of course, one game from Germany, when they beat Curaçao 7-1, was a bigger result, but it was 1-1 [for quite] a long time. For me, that’s already a big win at the (FIFA) World Cup. It shows that global football is growing massively,” he said.

Former Argentina international Zabaleta agreed that concerns about an increase in one-sided games had been unfounded. “You can see how those favourite teams have been struggling a little bit in the group stages, and it tells you that, these days, you don't have easy games. You have to perform, you have to do well to win games,” he said.

Former Bundesliga player and ex-Ghana coach Addo highlighted that nine of the 10 African teams at the tournament had advanced to the knockout stage.

“I'm very, very happy that the African teams use this possibility to show what they can (do) and I think in general, and for each team it was a hard to get here, and every team which is here deserves it, I’m very happy that they have shown (their quality). Cabo Verde I think have proven that they belong here and it's really, really nice to see,” said Addo, who also praised debutants Curaçao for their draw with Ecuador – the Caribbean nation’s first point in the FIFA World Cup™.

The TSG’s data, presented by Gardner, revealed a tournament producing more goals than ever before. “The goals per game has increased from 2018 to 2022, and even now, sitting just under three goals per game,” he said.

One of the most significant pieces of data to be discovered by the TSG is the connection between fast ball recovery and winning.

“We are seeing a strong link between teams who are counter-pressing and regaining quickly, and success… winning teams are regaining the ball on average four seconds faster than losing teams and again, as we move into the knockout stages, we'll be following closely to see if that trend continues,” Gardner added.

The panel was united in its praise for the impact of the rule changes designed to speed up play.

“You see players now, they're not going down and wasting time because they know they have to go out and just wait, and [leave] the team with 10 players, maybe for one minute. So, goalkeepers going quick, when they catch the ball, and they're not wasting time, again, on the floor, if not, they will concede a corner. The new rules, I think improve the dynamic of the game,” said Zabaleta.

Former Denmark striker and ex-Sweden coach Tomasson said he was glad to see time-wasting disappearing from the game. “I hate it when teams are running down the clock. I hate it… we need to take care of our product, football... there needs to be excitement.”

The panel noted that hydration breaks had allowed teams to adjust their tactics midway through a half and Zabaleta said they also helped keep players performing at their best. “Those breaks give you the chance to get a little bit of rest and go into those 25 minutes a little bit fresher,” he said.

Former Brazil midfielder Gilberto also welcomed the FIFA Power Rankings powered by Aramco, a new data-driven tool introduced for the FIFA World Cup 2026, for shining a light on players outside the usual goalscoring stars.

“It's great that the people are paying attention (to) the importance of the holding midfielders, [their] hard work for the team, you know, [their] pressing. We talk a lot on the topic here of counter-pressing, how important they are to guide it out to players in front of them. How important they are when are they in the low block to position (themselves) in front of the defenders. But also (the power rankings) giving this credit to them, you know. I'm so happy to see that.”

For the TSG’s reports on individual games in the tournament and a wealth of coaching and tactical material, please visit https://www.fifatrainingcentre.com/en/