Set-piece prowess may be reshaping club football, but FIFA’s Technical Study Group said on Monday that dead-ball dominance is unlikely to define this year’s World Cup, ​largely due to limited preparation time for international teams. 

Speaking at a FIFA media ‌roundtable a month before the expanded 48-team tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico, TSG members discussed emerging trends, including Arsenal-style set-piece specialisation.

Premier League leaders Arsenal – dubbed the “set-piece kings” – last month smashed the record ​for most goals scored from corners in a single Premier League season.

“I’d be interested ​to see how the other teams approach this,” said Gilberto Silva, a 2002 ⁠World Cup winner with Brazil and former Arsenal midfielder.

“We have seen this season, especially ​in the Premier League with Arsenal. In the last few years, corner kicks and long balls ​have not been used as much compared to when I played, when they were more common. In the last few years, the game has developed, with teams building from the goalkeeper.

“But I’m not so sure the World ​Cup will be the same, because you don’t have much time to prepare a team ​for these tournaments. Of course, it can be a weapon and teams will use it, but not as ‌the ⁠main one.

“I expect tight games, with a lot of practical aspects and teams looking to exploit transitions to break through.”

Last year’s Club World Cup in the U.S., which served as a dress rehearsal for the showpiece tournament, also highlighted the potential impact of scorching heat.

“In general, the Club ​World Cup showed a ​very similar level of ⁠intensity in the matches compared to the 2022 World Cup when we looked at some of the key games,” said Tom Gardner, Lead ​of Football Performance Insights.

“So I’m sure heat may be a factor in ​how teams ⁠manage that. But we don’t expect to see on a physical level very similar outputs to 2022, as we did at the 2025 Club World Cup.”

The TSG will provide analysis of all matches ⁠at ​the World Cup. Guided by FIFA Chief of Global ​Football Development Arsene Wenger, the group includes figures such as Silva, Juergen Klinsmann and Pablo Zabaleta, and is supported by ​a team of analysts and data specialists.

-Reuters

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By Kunle Solaja

After an abrupt end to his latest spell with the Black Stars, former Ghana coach Otto Addo has quickly resurfaced on the global football stage following his appointment to FIFA’s elite Technical Study Group for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. 

Addo, whose tenure with Ghana ended in March 2026 amid growing criticism and disappointing results, has now been handed a prestigious analytical and developmental role by FIFA ahead of football’s biggest tournament.

In what many observers see as a remarkable rebound, the former Borussia Dortmund assistant coach will join a star-studded panel of football experts responsible for dissecting all 104 matches of the expanded FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The Technical Study Group, assembled under the guidance of former Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger, includes respected football figures such as Jürgen Klinsmann, Gilberto Silva, Tobin Heath and Pablo Zabaleta.

For Addo, the appointment offers a fresh chapter after a turbulent period with Ghana’s national team. Although his second stint with the Black Stars failed to meet expectations, FIFA’s decision to include him among the game’s leading technical minds suggests his tactical insight and football knowledge remain highly regarded internationally.

The Technical Study Group will be led by former Switzerland goalkeeper Pascal Zuberbühler and will provide advanced tactical and performance analysis throughout the tournament using live data, multiple video angles and enhanced football intelligence tools.

FIFA said the group would help identify modern trends in football while offering deeper insights to broadcasters, coaches, players and fans.

“The Technical Study Group helps identify trends in the game, prepare future generations for football’s development and contribute to making the sport more exciting,” Wenger explained in FIFA’s statement unveiling the panel.

For the first time in World Cup history, fans will also receive real-time technical insights from the experts through the FIFA Training Centre’s social media platforms and YouTube channel.

Addo, who earned 15 caps for Ghana as a player and guided the Black Stars at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, now returns to the global stage in a different capacity, not on the touchline, but in the tactical brain trust shaping the understanding of the modern game.

His appointment could also be viewed as a personal redemption story, with the coach finding renewed relevance at the highest level of world football despite his difficult exit from the Ghana job. 

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The United States will stage a star-studded and entertainment-driven opening ceremony for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Los Angeles on Friday, 12 June, as football’s biggest tournament officially takes centre stage across North America.

FIFA announced that the ceremony at Los Angeles Stadium will feature some of the world’s biggest music stars, including Katy Perry, Future, Anitta, LISA, Rema and Tyla, with more international performers expected to be announced in the coming months.

The ceremony, scheduled to begin 90 minutes before kick-off, is expected to deliver a high-energy showcase reflecting the diversity, entertainment culture and global influence of the United States, particularly the creative spirit of Los Angeles, widely regarded as the entertainment capital of the world.

According to FIFA, the Los Angeles spectacle will form part of an unprecedented trilogy of opening ceremonies spread across the three co-host nations:  Mexico, Canada and the United States — creating what organisers described as one continental celebration united by “a shared heartbeat.”

Produced in partnership with Balich Wonder Studio, the ceremony will combine large-scale visuals, immersive storytelling and live performances centred around the iconic FIFA World Cup Trophy and the cultural identity of the United States.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the Los Angeles ceremony would underline the scale and global reach of the expanded tournament.

“This opening ceremony in Los Angeles represents the extraordinary scale of what the FIFA World Cup 2026 will become,” Infantino said.

“The lineup of artists reflects the cultural diversity of the United States and the vibrancy of its many diasporas, highlighting the nation’s rich influence on music, entertainment and pop culture.”

Fans attending the event have been encouraged to arrive early, with stadium gates opening four hours before kick-off to allow supporters to participate in activations, entertainment experiences, live pre-match programmes and interactive fan activities.

The ceremony will precede the United States’ opening match against Paraguay in what promises to be one of the biggest sporting and entertainment events of the year.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, the first to feature 48 teams and 104 matches, will be played across 16 host cities in Canada, Mexico and the United States, beginning in Mexico City on 11 June before concluding with the final at New York-New Jersey Stadium on 19 July.

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